Antenatal care booking within the first trimester of pregnancy and its associated factors among pregnant women residing in an urban area: a cross-sectional study in Debre Berhan town, Ethiopia

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess antenatal care (ANC) booking within the first trimester of pregnancy and its associated factors among urban dwellers of pregnant women in Debre Berhan town, Ethiopia. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Public and private health facilities that provide ANC services in Debre Berhan town. OUTCOME MEASURE: First ANC booking within the first trimester of pregnancy. PARTICIPANTS: Urban dwellers of pregnant women in Debre Berhan town (n=384). RESULTS: A total of 387 pregnant women in Debre Berhan town were selected for this study, of which 384 responded giving a response rate of 99.2%. The proportion of pregnant women who had ANC booking within the first trimester of pregnancy was 156 (40.6%; 95% CI: 35.8% to 45.6%). In the multivariable analysis, the odds of first ANC booking within the first trimester was higher among pregnant women who had secondary school (adjusted OR (AOR): 1.84; 95% CI: 1.10 to 3.19) and more than secondary level of education (AOR: 2.26; 95% CI: 1.27 to 4.03) compared with those who had less than a secondary school level of education. Pregnant women who have any ill health with their current pregnancy (AOR: 1.99; 95% CI: 1.21 to 3.27) were more likely to start booking within the first trimester than their counterparts. The odds of ANC booking within the first trimester was threefold higher among women with knowledge of ANC (AOR: 3.05; 95% CI: 1.52 to 6.11) compared with their counterparts. CONCLUSION: First ANC booking within the first trimester was found to be low among urban dwellers of Debre Berhan town. Secondary school and more educational level, having ill health during early pregnancy and women’s knowledge about ANC services were statistically associated with ANC booking within the first trimester of pregnancy. Therefore, improving ANC booking according to the WHO recommendation requires due attention. Further qualitative research exploring why early ANC booking remains low among urban dwellers is important to design intervention modalities.