Frontiers in global women's health最新文献

{"title":"Leveraging women empowerment for better maternal health: using the SWPER index to identify key drivers of quality antenatal care in Southern Africa.","authors":"Munawar Harun Koray, Evelina Ndapewa Johannes, Emmanuel Kwasi Afriyie, Alfred Pie Faabie","doi":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1886495","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1886495","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Quality antenatal care (ANC) is essential for reducing maternal and neonatal mortality; however, access remains inequitable in Southern Africa. Women's empowerment is increasingly recognized as a key determinant of health-seeking behavior; however, its role in shaping ANC quality has not been adequately examined in the region.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study used cross-sectional Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from 2015 to 2023 across seven Southern African countries (<i>n</i> = 36,671). Women's empowerment was measured using the SWPER Global Index, which covers the domains of attitude toward violence, social independence, and decision-making. Quality ANC was defined as the receipt of four essential services: blood pressure measurement, urine testing, blood testing, and iron supplementation. Hierarchical models were fitted, and the measures of variation and model fit were evaluated. The significance level was set at <i>p</i> < 0.05, with a 95% confidence interval.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Overall, 45.1% of the women received quality ANC, with wide variation between countries (27.4% in Malawi vs. 92.1% in South Africa). A high level of empowerment against violence and decision-making was observed among the women in most of the countries. Women with high social independence (aOR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.01-1.24) and strong rejection of gender-based violence (aOR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.05-1.26) were significantly more likely to receive high-quality ANC. Early ANC initiation, ≥8 visits, and doctor-led care were the most powerful predictors of quality ANC care.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Women's empowerment, particularly social independence and autonomy from violence, plays a critical role in improving the quality of ANC in Southern Africa. However, persistent socioeconomic and geographic inequities highlight the need for context-specific strategies. Policies that integrate gender equality frameworks with strengthened ANC service delivery, especially in rural and low-performing countries, are essential for achieving maternal health targets.</p>","PeriodicalId":73087,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in global women's health","volume":"7 ","pages":"1886495"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13672230/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149217359","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The relationship between endometrial cancer and urinary incontinence: systematic review.","authors":"Feda Mohammed Ali Al Saleh, Khalil Ibrahim Bograin, Amjad Saud Alaqil, Nourah Mashari Alqadri, Aesha Abdulaziz Alamer, Kayan Munahi Alotaibi, Alwala'a Saud Alaqeel, Lubna Abdullatif Alnajim, Jomana Hussain Alali, Dhiyaa Abdullah Almusaylim, Majd Khalid Al Dhailan","doi":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1898627","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1898627","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The most common gynecological cancer in industrialized countries is endometrial cancer (EC), whose prevalence is growing and is associated with metabolic syndrome and obesity. Women's quality of life is negatively impacted by the common and upsetting disorder known as urinary incontinence (UI), particularly in postmenopausal and post-surgical populations. Despite plausible biological and iatrogenic connections between EC and UI-including shared risk factors such as obesity and the impact of hysterectomy on pelvic anatomy-the relationship remains inadequately synthesized in the literature.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>The purpose of this systematic review is to summarize the data about the connection between endometrial cancer and incontinence, looking at prevalence, potential etiological mechanisms, and implications for clinical care.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A comprehensive search for English-language studies published in the last ten years was done using PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. MeSH phrases and keywords associated with urinary incontinence and endometrial cancer were used in the search. Two reviewers used Rayyan software to independently pick studies, extract data, and evaluate quality. Because the studies were so different from one another, a narrative synthesis technique was used.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Six studies comprising 955 patients and 85 healthcare professionals met inclusion criteria. The collective evidence reveals that UI is a highly prevalent yet often undermanaged consequence of EC and its treatments. Findings demonstrate that lymph node dissection may contribute to urinary symptoms, though not reaching statistical significance. Radiotherapy exhibits paradoxical effects-potentially improving stress UI while contributing to broader pelvic floor dysfunction through radiation-induced fibrosis and measurable alterations in pelvic floor muscle properties. Obesity and age, rather than radiation exposure consistently, become important risk factors on their own.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Due to common risk factors, direct effects of the disease, and damage from therapy, urinary incontinence is a common and clinically important side effect of endometrial cancer and its therapies. As the number of EC survivors keeps rising, addressing UI must become a priority in comprehensive survivorship care. Future efforts should focus on developing validated screening tools, establishing evidence-based management guidelines, and implementing integrated care models.</p>","PeriodicalId":73087,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in global women's health","volume":"7 ","pages":"1898627"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13672505/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149217380","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction: Proactive approaches to preventing postpartum depression in non-depressive pregnant women: a comprehensive scoping review.","authors":"Nga Thi Nguyen, Supa Pengpid","doi":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.2003962","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fgwh.2026.2003962","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fgwh.2025.1497740.].</p>","PeriodicalId":73087,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in global women's health","volume":"7 ","pages":"2003962"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13670020/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149217408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Women's empowerment and intimate partner violence among pregnant women in Northern Ghana: evidence from coarsened exact matching and double-selection LASSO analyses.","authors":"Joseph Lasong, Yula Salifu, Yaa Nyarko Adjeso","doi":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1905930","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1905930","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa. Its relationship with women's empowerment is theoretically contested, and most studies collapse empowerment into a single composite score, which may mask dimension-specific associations. We examined three empowerment dimensions including reproductive autonomy, household decision-making, and economic empowerment against physical, sexual, and emotional IPV among pregnant women in Northern Ghana.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We surveyed 260 pregnant women attending antenatal care (April-May 2023). Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM) balanced high- and low-empowerment women on age, education, and number of children, retaining <i>n</i> = 246 for the pre-specified primary analysis. Double-Selection LASSO (DSL) logistic regression, applied to the full analytical sample (<i>n</i> = 260), served as a complementary sensitivity analysis. Balance after matching was assessed by standardised mean differences (SMDs) and variance ratios.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Any-IPV prevalence was 59.6%. Two associations showed convergent evidence across both Methods: (1) reproductive autonomy was protective against sexual IPV (CEM OR = 0.34, 95% CI 0.19-0.61; DSL OR = 0.36, 95% CI 0.20-0.63) and emotional IPV (CEM OR = 0.29, 95% CI 0.16-0.54; DSL OR = 0.36, 95% CI 0.20-0.64); and (2) household decision-making was positively associated with physical IPV in a backlash-direction pattern (CEM OR = 1.34, 95% CI 1.07-1.66, <i>p</i> = 0.009; DSL OR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.03-1.55, <i>p</i> = 0.028). Economic empowerment and the composite empowerment index were not significantly associated with any IPV outcome in either analysis.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Reproductive autonomy showed a protective association with sexual and emotional IPV in the two different analytic approaches. Household decision-making showed a convergent positive association with physical IPV consistent with the backlash hypothesis. Composite empowerment scores obscured all dimension-specific patterns. Interventions strengthening reproductive autonomy, particularly contraceptive access and sexual-consent education, may reduce IPV vulnerability more directly than broad aggregated empowerment measures.</p>","PeriodicalId":73087,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in global women's health","volume":"7 ","pages":"1905930"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13669198/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149217371","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Between borders and barriers: disability prevalence, pregnancy outcomes and maternal care access on the Thai-Myanmar border, a mixed methods study.","authors":"Qin van de Stadt, Taco Jan Prins, Suphak Nosten, Mupawjay Pimanpanarak, May Myo Thwin, Ko Ko Aung, May Mon Mon Theint, Aung Myat Min, Mary Ellen Gilder, Nay Win Tun, Dirk Essink, Chaisiri Angkurawaranon, Rose McGready","doi":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1919504","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1919504","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Research on the intersection of displacement, disability, and pregnancy remains scarce globally. At the Thai-Myanmar border tens of thousands of displaced individuals including over 12,000 refugees with documented disabilities reside. The objective of this analysis is to assess the prevalence of pregnant People With Disabilities (PWD) among displaced populations and to explore perspectives on disability and barriers to accessing maternal care in this setting.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This mixed-methods study included a retrospective analysis of 49,038 clinical records of refugees and migrants who gave birth or received antenatal care at clinics operated by the Shoklo Malaria Research Unit. Logistic regression was used to compare pregnancy outcomes between pregnant people with and without disabilities. The qualitative component included five in-depth interviews with migrant PWD and five focus group discussions with healthcare staff and migrant community health volunteers providing maternal care. Deductive and inductive thematic analyses were conducted to examine experiences of accessing, receiving, and providing care.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Documented prevalence of pregnant PWD was low at 0.62% (305/49,038; 95% CI 0.55-0.70). Women with disabilities reported barriers including stigma, transportation difficulties, financial constraints, and reliance on accompaniment to attend clinics. Those who accessed care described respectful communication and supportive interactions with staff. Healthcare providers expressed strong commitment to equitable care. Quantitative findings included higher antenatal care attendance and lower loss to follow-up among women with disabilities.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>The low documented prevalence of disability may reflect underrepresentation or underreporting of pregnant PWD in maternal services or a healthy migrant effect. Quantitative results reported favourable ANC use and perinatal outcomes, which aligned with accounts of respectful communication, equal treatment, and participation in decision-making. Future research should use standard tools, disaggregate findings by disability type, severity, and ethnicity to uncover specific needs.</p>","PeriodicalId":73087,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in global women's health","volume":"7 ","pages":"1919504"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13661930/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149198330","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"\"We follow what our elders taught us\": an ethnographic study of kinship, rituals, and reproductive transitions among women in the GaRBH cohort, Rajasthan, India.","authors":"Sonia Maurya, Gagandeep Kaur Walia, Subhash Kumar Jha, Tripti Agarwal, Ruchi Saxena, Helen Lambert, Vipin Gupta","doi":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1915333","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1915333","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This paper examines the cultural meanings and ritual practices surrounding pregnancy, childbirth, and early infant care in Bikaner, and their implications for maternal and newborn wellbeing. We conducted a qualitative ethnographic study based on in-depth interviews and short-term observations of household rituals with 33 participants, including 13 pregnant women, 11 recently delivered mothers, and 9 elder female family members. The findings reveal that pregnancy is widely perceived as a vulnerable and transformative phase that necessitates heightened care, protection, and collective familial support. Rituals such as <i>godbharai, chathiar,</i> and <i>annaprashan</i> are ceremonial practices that function as inherent mechanisms through which families express care, strengthen their kinship ties, and provide emotional reassurance to women during periods of bodily and social transition. Similarly, beliefs associated with the placenta, maternal blood, and postpartum seclusion further illuminate how women and families interpret and make sense of reproductive experiences through local cultural frameworks. At the same time, the study also identifies some long-held customs, particularly restrictive dietary norms, postpartum restrictions, and delays in seeking biomedical care, that may adversely affect maternal nutrition and neonatal health outcomes. Rather than framing tradition and biomedicine as oppositional, the paper argues for a culturally sensitive public health approach that recognizes the social and emotional significance of ritual practices while promoting safe and evidence-based maternal and newborn care.</p>","PeriodicalId":73087,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in global women's health","volume":"7 ","pages":"1915333"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13661947/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149198293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Protecting reproductive rights in an era of declining fertility: charting a path for the SRHR community.","authors":"Danielle Garfinkel, Kaitlyn Patierno, Jennifer Sciubba, Gizachew Balew Jenbere, Moke Magoma, Traci L Baird","doi":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1952617","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1952617","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Efforts to protect and expand sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are at a critical juncture. In many countries, concerns about declining fertility are increasingly shaping development priorities, raising the risk that demographic and socio-economic anxieties overshadow rights and informed choice. While growing attention to fertility decline does not inherently threaten SRHR, alarmist narratives can reshape public discourse, service and financing priorities, and policy in ways that constrain reproductive autonomy. This is of particular concern in low- and middle-income countries, where fertility trends vary widely, narratives can be applied without context, and evidence to guide rights-based approaches remains scarce. Early interviews and consultations with SRHR stakeholders in four sub-Saharan African countries and with global leaders suggest that concerns about declining fertility are not yet widely reflected in policy reversals, but that such changes may be on the horizon and stakeholders lack the information and tools needed for tailored communication and engagement strategies. Without a proactive, evidence- and rights-based response, SRHR efforts risk losing support at a time when women's and girls' needs remain urgent. Advocates, policymakers, and practitioners have a window of opportunity to elevate the issue and identify effective strategies to protect SRHR in the context of fertility decline. Doing so requires a focus on locally relevant evidence, rights-affirming communications, protection of services and financing, and policy monitoring and safeguarding.</p>","PeriodicalId":73087,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in global women's health","volume":"7 ","pages":"1952617"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13655091/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149167505","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Innovation in prenatal care: a global review of implementing group prenatal care and impacts on women, children, and health care providers.","authors":"Megan E Austin-Cherry, Deborah L Billings","doi":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1910318","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fgwh.2026.1910318","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Over the past 15 years, group-based prenatal care - bringing together 8 to 12 pregnant individuals for shared health assessment, interactive learning, and community building - has gained global interest as an alternative to traditional individual prenatal appointments.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This mini-review synthesizes global research on the impact of group prenatal care on women, infants, and health care providers.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A narrative approach was used to synthesize peer-reviewed literature of international group prenatal care models and their multiple impacts on women, children, and providers using predefined eligibility criteria and thematic synthesis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Group prenatal care consistently improved women's empowerment, social support, mental health, health literacy, and care adherence. Women showed lower rates of gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia. Infants benefited through improved maternal behaviors, including breastfeeding initiation and immunization. Providers reported stronger patient relationships, though challenges in facilitation, time management, and workload were noted.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Group prenatal care offers clear benefits across diverse global settings. Successful implementation requires adequate resources, facilitation training, and stakeholder buy-in. Longitudinal research on long-term child health outcomes is needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":73087,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in global women's health","volume":"7 ","pages":"1910318"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13650468/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149172353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"\"Nowhere to go\" qualitative exploration of social workers' perspectives on violence against women in Jordan during the COVID-19 pandemic.","authors":"Hana Taha, Asma Basha, Mohammed Nawaiseh, Bashar Tarabsheh, Zaid Akhras, Awn Al-Shehab, Zaid Abu-Ameereh, Abdulla Al-Hawamdeh, Vanja Berggren","doi":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1899338","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1899338","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The COVID-19 pandemic significantly changed global socio-economic aspects of many humans' lives, leading to an increased risk of domestic violence (DV). This study aims to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the dynamics of DV in Jordan by exploring the social workers' perceptions of its underlying causes and how the unique socio-economic and psychological strains of the pandemic affected DV within the Jordanian context.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Qualitative study conducted from February to July 2022 in Amman, Jordan. The data were collected through individual in-depth interviews with 20 social workers who work in different Family and Juvenile Protection centers throughout Amman city, to explore their perceptions about the status of violence against women during the coronavirus pandemic. The data was analyzed using latent content analysis.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>The researchers were able to recognize two themes from the narratives; The first theme was: COVID-19 fear and restrictions, aggravated the barriers and impacted reaching out and access to social services. This theme was built on two categories: Prevailing socio-cultural hushing especially among less privileged women; the victim's ambivalence between the risk of exposure to the virus versus her fear from the perpetrator. The second theme was: COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions generated tremendous stress for victims, perpetrators, and social workers. This theme was constructed on four categories: the increase in the incidence of domestic abuse during the pandemic; the increase of socio-economic hardships; the increase in alcohol and drug abuse by victims and their abusers; and the social workers' concern about the accessibility to ask for help during the quarantine.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>There has been a noticeable increase in DV in Jordan during COVID-19 crisis attributed to many factors such as spending a lot of time with the abusers and physical barriers for accessing family protection departments. Empowering women and providing psychosocial support to both victims and perpetrators can prevent and decrease the hazardous impact of DV. Digital reporting tools and standardized tele-counseling protocols for social workers should be implemented to overcome the possible physical and socio-economic barriers of reporting.</p>","PeriodicalId":73087,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in global women's health","volume":"7 ","pages":"1899338"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13646062/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149139588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Determinants of complete antenatal care in Sub-Saharan Africa: a multilevel analysis of Demographic and Health Surveys from 28 countries.","authors":"Hamse Adam Abdi, Osman Mohmed Osman, Abdulkadir Mohamed Nuh, Hamse Arab Ali, Abdisalam Hassan Muse","doi":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1845317","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgwh.2026.1845317","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Antenatal care (ANC) quality is assessed by the number of recommended ANC services a woman receives during pregnancy, including blood pressure checks, urine and blood sampling, and administration of iron supplements. The World Health Organization recommends that, to make ANC services an effective preventive measure, the content and quality of care should be routinely monitored.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 394,067 women who gave birth 5 years before the survey were included. We used Stata version 17 for data management and analysis. A multilevel logistic regression model was fitted. Finally, the adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) are reported. Statistical significance was defined as <i>P</i>-value < 0.05.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Complete ANC was significantly higher among women with primary (aOR 1.63, 95% CI 1.59-1.66), secondary (aOR 2.31, 95% CI 2.26-2.37), or higher education (aOR 2.99, 95% CI 2.84-3.15); among those living in poorer (aOR 1.05, 95% CI 1.03-1.08), richer (aOR 1.04, 95% CI 1.01-1.07), or the richest households (aOR 1.14, 95% CI 1.10-1.18), and among women who wanted later pregnancies (aOR 1.25, 95% CI 1.23-1.28). It was lower among women with unwanted pregnancies (aOR 0.54, 95% CI 0.53-0.56), those who were working (aOR 0.90, 95% CI 0.89-0.92), those exposed to media (aOR 0.97, 95% CI 0.95-0.99), those living in female-headed households (aOR 0.96, 95% CI 0.94-0.98), and among all ever-married women (married aOR 0.67, 95% CI 0.63-0.71; cohabiting aOR 0.68, 95% CI 0.64-0.72; widowed aOR 0.38, 95% CI 0.33-0.43; divorced aOR 0.66, 95% CI 0.60-0.74; separated aOR 0.63, 95% CI 0.57-0.68).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study demonstrates that fewer than 2 in 10 women in Sub-Saharan Africa receive all recommended antenatal care services, indicating low coverage. The key determinants of complete antenatal care were identified, including household wealth, maternal education, pregnancy intention, marital status, media exposure, sex of the household head, and maternal employment status.</p>","PeriodicalId":73087,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in global women's health","volume":"7 ","pages":"1845317"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13642273/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149129435","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}