Two decades of antenatal and delivery care in Uganda: a cross-sectional study using Demographic and Health Surveys

• Published in: BMC health services research 2018-10, Vol.18 (1), p.758-758, Article 758
• Main Authors: Benova, Lenka, Dennis, Mardieh L, Lange, Isabelle L, Campbell, Oona M R, Waiswa, Peter, Haemmerli, Manon, Fernandez, Yolanda, Kerber, Kate, Lawn, Joy E, Santos, Andreia Costa, Matovu, Fred, Macleod, David, Goodman, Catherine, Penn-Kekana, Loveday, Ssengooba, Freddie, Lynch, Caroline A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Analysis; Antenatal care; Births; Cesarean Section - statistics & numerical data; Childbirth & labor; Childbirth location; Childrens health; Coalitions; Cross-Sectional Studies; Delivery care; Delivery of Health Care - statistics & numerical data; Delivery, Obstetric - statistics & numerical data; Delivery, Obstetric - trends; Facilities and Services Utilization; Facility delivery; Female; Health facilities; Health services; Health surveys; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Low income groups; Maternal & child health; Maternal health; Maternal Health Services - statistics & numerical data; Maternal Health Services - trends; Maternal mortality; Maternal Mortality - trends; Medical care; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Obstetrics; Population growth; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Outcome; Prenatal care; Prenatal Care - statistics & numerical data; Private sector; Private Sector - statistics & numerical data; Public sector; Public Sector - statistics & numerical data; Quality; Quality management; Quality of care; Rural Health; Social aspects; Social class; Socioeconomic Factors; Statistics; Stillbirth; Uganda; Womens health; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1472-6963; 1472-6963
• DOI: 10.1186/s12913-018-3546-3

Uganda halved its maternal mortality to 343/100,000 live births between 1990 and 2015, but did not meet the Millennium Development Goal 5. Skilled, timely and good quality antenatal (ANC) and delivery care can prevent the majority of maternal/newborn deaths and stillbirths. We examine coverage, equity, sector of provision and content of ANC and delivery care between 1991 and 2011. We conducted a repeated cross-sectional study using four Uganda Demographic and Health Surveys (1995, 2000, 2006 and 2011).Using the most recent live birth and adjusting for survey sampling, we estimated percentage and absolute number of births with ANC (any and 4+ visits), facility delivery, caesarean sections and complete maternal care. We assessed socio-economic differentials in these indicators by wealth, education, urban/rural residence, and geographic zone on the 1995 and 2011 surveys. We estimated the proportions of ANC and delivery care provided by the public and private (for-profit and not-for-profit) sectors, and compared content of ANC and delivery care between sectors. Statistical significance of differences were evaluated using chi-square tests. Coverage with any ANC remained high over the study period (> 90% since 2001) but was of insufficient frequency;