Antenatal care service availability and utilization in rural viet nam

Abstract

Studies of reproductive health service utilization in developing countries have traditionally focused on individual-level determinants. In Viet Nam evidence of the associations between service environment and utilization is almost non-existent. This study examines the relationships between antenatal care (ANC) service availability in public and private sectors in rural areas and ANC-seeking behaviours. Data come from the Viet Nam 2002 Demographic and Health Survey which collected information on individual health behaviours community characteristics and service availability. Just over half of recently pregnant women in rural Viet Nam received ANC during the first three months of their pregnancies; a similar proportion received three or more such visits. Three in five rural women did not obtain appropriate ANC which means receiving ANC both within the first trimester and three or more of such visits. Service availability in the public sector was related to rural women receiving at least three such visits but not to initiating ANC within the first trimester. ANC service availability in the private sector was not significantly related to utilization. Household wealth and women’s education were associated with increased probability of receiving appropriate ANC. The findings indicate the importance of service availability in the public sector. They also suggest that any interventions aimed at improving access to ANC services should include efforts to target rural women of lower wealth status and educational achievements.