Mass Media Exposure and Timing of Antenatal Care Initiation among Women in Uganda
Abstract Background : Early initiation of quality antenatal (ANC) in the first trimester and received quality care are highly emphasized by WHO in the new 2016 guidelines. Mass media have the potential to promote early initiation of ANC because they have been used successfully in several programmes. However, there is a paucity of literature on the impact of media exposure on the timing of ANC initiation in Uganda. Hence our study aimed at exploring associations between the different mass media exposure and timing of antenatal care initiation among women in Uganda.Methods : A cross sectional study was conducted using the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) 2016 weighted data of 10,152 women of reproductive age (15–49 years). Multistage stratified sampling was used to select study participants. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the association between mass media exposure and early initiation of antenatal care. All our analyses were done using SPSS version 25.Results : Almost a third of the women (2953/10,152, 29.1%, 95% CI: 27.9-29.6) initiated their first ANC contact in the first trimester. In the final multivariable analyses, exposure to television (TV) and radio, belonging to the Northern and Western regions, younger age and less household size each had a significant positive association with earlier ANC initiation while lower education attainment had an inverse association. Women who were exposed to TV (adjusted OR (AOR 1.19, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.38) and radio (AOR 1.14, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.29) were 19% and 14% more likely to initiate ANC earlier compared to those who were not exposed to TV and radio respectively.Conclusion : In Uganda, less than a third of women initiated ANC in the first trimester. Young women from a smaller household with access to either a radio or television, and residing in Northern and Western regions were more likely to initiate ANC early enough. In order to promote early initiation of ANC, the government needs to intensify mass media campaigns on local media houses that promote this practice.