Antenatal Care Services Practices and Utilisation

Abstract

The study is located in a tribal and rural district of Assam. It captures the ANC newlineservices, practices and utilisation, besides constructing a socio-cultural narrative of newlinethe meaning and understanding of pregnancy and pregnancy care among a tribal newlinecommunity called the Bodos. The study is poised against the intensive and rigorous newlineimplementation of the WHO model of Focused Antenatal Care (FANC) service by newlineNRHM/NHM with an aim of reducing maternal and child morbidity and mortality newlinebased on the assumption that antenatal Care (ANC) (registration and regular visits) newlineis essential and vital component of early diagnosis and treatment of pregnancy related newlinecomplication and intervention. The implementation of the programme becomes even newlinemore urgent as annual statistical figure pregnancy related mortality is alarming both at newlineglobal and national levels (globally 303,000 deaths in 2015 and India 45,000 deaths in newline2016 as per report of WHO, 2016). Further, the report states that of the total global newlinedeaths due to complications related to pregnancy, 99 per cent deaths occurred in the newlinedeveloping countries of which 17 per cent is in India. newlineThis study however, does not deal with the study of morbidity and mortality rate or newlineratio related to pregnancy complications. On the other hand it attempts to understand newline1) the level and relationship between Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of ANC newlineamong the study population; 2) types of services and service providers of ANC in the newlinestudy area; 3) the meaning and understanding of pregnancy and pregnancy care newlineamong the Bodos from a socio-cultural perspective and 4) suggest strategies for newlineimprovement in the achievement of ANC service utilisation provided by the formal newlinehealth system among the Bodos. newlineThe interest of the study arose out of experience from field high dropout rate from newlineANC service in spite of high level of awareness and positive attitude among the newlinepeople. This encounter in the field created a curiosity in the mind of the researcher to newlinefurther understand the reasons and factors respons....