Timing of First Prenatal Ultrasound and Associated Factors among Women who Gave Birth in Ambo Town Public Health Institutions, Ethiopia

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.