Knowledge regarding antenatal care services, its utilization, and delivery practices in mothers (aged 15-49 years) in a rural area of North India

Background: Antenatal care (ANC) is an effective tool to reduce both infant and maternal mortality rates. In spite of all efforts to reach and register every antenatal mother, the results are not up to desired level. Objectives: To assess the level of knowledge of pregnant women about ANC services and to find out the ANC utilization and factors affecting them. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in October-November 2013 in Krishna Nagar village of Miran Sahib zone of block R.S. Pura. All the mothers (aged 15-49 years) in this village were interviewed using a predesigned, pretested, and semi-open-ended questionnaire. Results: The respondents had adequate knowledge about ANC services except for the minimum number of visits for ANC. Here, 89.6% (189) of the respondents had registered for ANC, of which 64.5% (136/211) and 9.9% (21/211) had registered in the 2 nd trimester and 1 st trimester, respectively. The results revealed that 79.1% of the deliveries were institutional. The age, literacy status, socioeconomic status (SES), and type of family had statistically significant associations with the utilization of ANC services. Conclusion: The results show that maternal literacy remains a key factor in the better utilization of antenatal services. Moreover, the role of health workers in increasing awareness among mothers about the importance of ANC in general and the danger signs of pregnancy in particular is of paramount concern.