Maternal and Child Health Status among Women Attending an Antenatal Clinic in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Bangladesh.

Abstract

Maternal and child health (MCH) is one of the bases of public health, however, specific research on antenatal care, child health practices and delivery outcomes remain limited in Bangladesh. This study aimed to assess the MCH situation among women attending a tertiary care hospital. It was a cross-sectional survey conducted from September 2025 to October 2025 among 460 purposively selected women attending the Antenatal Care Clinic of Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH) for an antenatal checkup. Face to face interview with a structured questionnaire was used to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics, reproductive history, child care practices, antenatal visits and delivery outcomes and then analyzed descriptively. The mean age of respondents was 26.56±4.7 years, among whom 83.5% were aged between 17-30 years. Most women had only secondary (35.0%) and primary (33.7%) levels of education. Majority were housewives (93.0%) with having 1-2 children (82.2%). Mean monthly household income was 22,998.91±11,641.31 Bangladeshi Taka. Most (97.2%) of the women fed colostrum and 90.2% completed immunization to their babies, while 5.2% of families experienced death of children of under-five years, mainly due to pneumonia, diarrhea and unknown causes. Mean antenatal care visit was 3.48±2.08, where 4.6% had no visits. 73.3% delivered their babies in the hospitals; however, 57.2% needed lower uterine cesarean section. Deliveries were mostly conducted by doctors (73.7%). The study found that most participants accessed antenatal care and institutional delivery, with high rates of colostrum feeding and child immunization, however, gaps exist in antenatal coverage, mode of delivery and prevention of child mortality. A systematic approach with targeted interventions is essential to improve MCH outcomes in Bangladesh.