I recently read an article entitled “Determinants of Antenatal Care Use in Ghana.” It is exactly what my project was on just a few weeks ago. Now is my project is title is this: “Decisions in Delivery: Identifying the factors that influence a woman’s decision concerning the location of childbirth.” My how it has changed over the past 4 months.
Why has it changed so much…..there are many reasons. Reasons that aren’t really the topic of this post. The topic of this post is how the article I read relates to my new project.
The author of the article, G.B. Overbosch identifies 4 factors that affect antenatal care use in Ghana:
1. Living Standard
2. Cost of Consultation
3. Travel Distance to the Provider
4. Education
(If you care to see one of my earlier posts that corresponds with this one, click here.)
I wonder how much these determinants will affect the number of women coming into the clinic to deliver their babies. I believe that the reasons women tell me are the reasons they deliver elsewhere are going to be very similar to this list. Overbosch says that these results suggest that adequate antenatal care use in Ghana can be promoted effectively by extending the supply of antenatal care services in the rural area, by general education policies, and by specific policies that increase reproductive health knowledge. I know I am not going to be promoting anything while I am in Ghana, but I think it is still interesting to note the suggestions.
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