Influence of mass media messages in promoting early attendance to antenatal clinics among pregnant women in Mufindi district council

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Antenatal care (ANC) plays a critical role in promoting positive health outcomes for women and their unborn children. However, early attendance for ANC remains low among pregnant women in Tanzania. Social behavior change communication utilizing well-designed mass media messages has proven effective in transforming unhealthy behaviors into healthy ones. Mass media message through platforms such as radio, television, and newspapers, have the potential to influence women's behavior and encourage timely ANC engagement. Objective: This study aimed to determine the influence of mass media messages on early ANC attendance among pregnant women in Mufindi District Council. Methodology: This was analytical cross-sectional study design using a quantitative approach involved a total of 231 pregnant women who are attended ANC clinics at three health centers in Mufindi District Council were involved in this study. ANC attendance was measured using a structured validated questionnaire. Then data were cleaned and analysed using Stata version 15. The study utilized descriptive analysis to calculate the proportions of ANC attendance, perceived benefits, and barriers. Furthermore, bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the associations between ANC attendance and exposure to mass media. Additionally, the Chi-squared test was employed to compare proportions across different groups. A p-value of <0.05 and a 95% confidence interval was used to assess the statistical test's significance. Results: Of the 231 participants, 36.8% had attend the ANC clinic early and 69% had four or more ANC visits during their pregnancy. In addition, the study found that participants who were exposed to more than one mass media had high likelihood of attending ANC clinic early (aOR 1.29, 95%CI (0.13-0.63) compared to those participants who were exposed to single mass media. The prominent benefit of mass media in ANC was that it provided useful information, increased awareness, and community support and acceptance, while the prominent barriers were the costs xiii associated with the use of mass media and the lack of access to the necessary mass media channels. Conclusion and recommendations: The study found that only 36.8% of pregnant women attended ANC clinics within the first 12 weeks, as recommended by WHO. Factors linked to early attendance included exposure to multiple media channels, higher education, previous pregnancies, and employment. While participants noted the benefits of media in increasing ANC awareness, they faced barriers like cost and language issues. The findings highlight the importance of diverse media channels and addressing financial and linguistic barriers to improve ANC uptake for better maternal and child health outcomes. The study recommends using various media channels like TV, radio, print, and social media to promote early ANC clinic attendance. To address cost and language barriers, it suggests reducing financial constraints and providing culturally relevant messages. This approach aims to improve information accessibility and encourage pregnant women to seek ANC services early.