Perceptions of Pregnant Women Contributing to Late Initiation in Antenatal Care during the First Trimester in the Ubungo Municipal Council in Tanzania

Antenatal care serves as a key entry point for a pregnant woman to receive a broad range of services and should be initiated at the onset of pregnancy. The World Health Organization recommends for the first antenatal visits to be before 12 weeks of gestation. However, many pregnant women due to various reasons attend first antenatal care services very late and little information is known on why pregnant women delay initiating antenatal care clinics during the first trimester. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of pregnant women contributing to the late initiation of antenatal care during the first trimester Ubungo Municipal Council. The study used purposive sampling to recruit thirty pregnant women for data collection through individual in-depth interviews. Pregnant women who attended antenatal care were recruited during antenatal care clinics and were interviewed in a room at the antenatal care unit. An in-depth interview was conducted with 30 pregnant women. Data were analyzed using thematic coding analysis. The finding of this study indicates that, lack of awareness on the appropriate time to start antenatal care first visit, pregnancy as a normal health condition which does not require health personnel attention, late identification of the pregnancy, transport cost and service cost as a barrier due to low income, long waiting hours at the facility, lack of support from the spouse and men’s working time table were major factors which pregnant women perceive to contribute late initiation in the antenatal care during the first trimester. Results conclude that, community awareness-raising and training on the significance of early antenatal clinic (ANC) visits are needed. Stakeholders should also address factors affecting facility and service levels such as high service costs and long waiting times at healthcare facilities.