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Temporal and regional variations in use, equity and quality of antenatal care in Egypt: a repeat cross-sectional analysis using Demographic and Health Surveys
Authors: Miguel Pugliese-Garcia, Emma Radovich, Nevine Hassanein, Oona M.R. Campbell, Karima Khalil, and Lenka Benova
Source: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth , 19 (Article number 268); DOI: 10.1186/s12884-019-2409-1
Topic(s): Antenatal care
Health care utilization
Health equity
Maternal health
Country: Africa
  Egypt
Published: JUL 2019
Abstract: Background Egypt has seen substantial decreases in maternal mortality and reached near universal coverage for antenatal care (ANC). The objective of this paper is to describe the changes over time (1991–2014) in the use of ANC in Egypt, focusing on sector of provision (public versus private), and the content and equity of this care, to inform future policies for improving maternal and newborn health. Methods We used Demographic and Health surveys (DHS) conducted in Egypt in 1995, 2000, 2005, 2008 and 2014 to explore national and regional trends in ANC. To assess content of care, we calculated the percentage of ANC users who reported receiving seven ANC components measured in DHS in 2014. Results During the period under consideration, the percentage of women in need of ANC who received facility-based ANC increased from 42 to 90%, the majority of which was private-sector ANC. The mean number of ANC visits among ANC users increased over time from 7.5 (95% confidence interval [CI]?=?7.1–7.9) in 1991–1995 to 9.7 (95%CI 9.6–9.9) in 2010–2014. In 2010–2014, 44% of women using public ANC reported eight or more visits compared to 71% in private ANC. In the same period, 24% of ANC users received all seven care components. This percentage ranged from 10% of women reporting fewer than four ANC visits to 29% of women reporting eight or more. The poorest ANC users received all seven measured components of care less often than the wealthiest (20% versus 28%, p-value
Web: https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-019-2409-1