Abstract:
Background: Ethiopian Ministry of Health recommended ''one prenatal ultrasound scan before
24 weeks of gestation for every pregnant woman''. Despite clear suggestions for timely prenatal
ultrasound utilization, little was known about the extent to which it is utilized and the factors
associated with the timing of first prenatal ultrasound in the study area. Therefore, this study will
fill the information gaps and could serve as baseline data for further researchers.
Objective: This study aimed to assess the timing of first prenatal ultrasound and associated
factors among women who gave birth in Ambo town public health institutions, Ethiopia, 2022.
Method: An institution-based cross-sectional study with concurrent mixed-method was
implemented. The data was collected from September 12 to October 30, 2022 through structured
questionnaires for quantitative study and in-depth interview, key informant interview were used
for qualitative study. A total of 442 participants were recruited by systematic random sampling
method for quantitative study, whereas purposive sampling technique was used to select 18
participants for qualitative study. The data was analyzed by using a binary logistic regression
model in SPSS Version 25 for quantitative data and thematic analysis using QDA Miner Lite
version 1.4 for qualitative data.
Results: From overall participants, 71%[(95% CI); (67.0%-75.6%)] had received a timely
prenatal ultrasound, factors significantly influencing the timing of first prenatal ultrasound
include: living in urban residence (AOR=5.64,95%CI=2.53-12.55), having a history prenatal
ultrasound in previous pregnancy (AOR=2.47,95%CI:1.24–4.89), attending ANC visits at hospital
(AOR=3.30,95%CI: 1.19-9.16), and good knowledge of prenatal ultrasound (AOR=4.46,95%CI:
2.26-8.81). The qualitative results found barriers to timely prenatal ultrasound include: lack of
awareness on ideal prenatal ultrasound scanning time, poor economic condition, long queues at
ultrasound service area, lack of support from partner or spouse, negative community perception
about prenatal ultrasound, late recognition of pregnancy, unfriendly health care provider, and
unavailability of ultrasound machine.
Conclusion and Recommendations: In this study, nearly three-quarters of participants timely
used prenatal ultrasound. However, there is still more work is required to fully achieve the Ministry of
Health recommendation for every pregnant woman.
