High rate of inadequate antenatal contacts among mothers in eastern Sudan: a cross-sectional study

This study assesses the prevalence and determinants of inadequate (less than eight contacts) and late antenatal care (ANC) initiation (starting after 12 weeks) among mothers delivered at Gadarif Maternity Hospital in eastern Sudan. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Gadarif Maternity Hospital. A questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic, clinical, and obstetric data through face-to-face interviews. Seven hundred mothers were enrolled with the median (interquartile range) of mothers' age, and parity was 28(24-32) years and 3(2-5), respectively. Of these 700 mothers, 79.3 percent and 10.3 percent had inadequate and late ANC, respectively. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, being a housewife (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.93, 95 percent CI 1.09, 3.43) was associated with inadequate ANC. High parity (AOR 1.27, 95 percent CI 1.07-1.52) was positively associated with late ANC initiation. There was no association between age, residence, education, preexisting medical disorder, and history of miscarriage) with inadequate or late ANC initiation In eastern Sudan, four out of five mothers did not comply with the World Health Organization's recommendation of a minimum of eight ANC contacts for positive pregnancy outcomes. This study is crucial for policy-makers to take further strategic actions to ensure adequate and early ANC initiation for all mothers in Sudan.