title: Factors associated with utilization of antenatal care services in Balochistan province of Pakistan: An analysis of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2010.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study was conducted to identify factors affecting the utilization of Antenatal Care (ANC) in Balochistan Province, Pakistan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data on ANC utilization, together with social and economic determinants, were derived from a Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) conducted in Balochistan in 2010. The analysis was conducted including 2339 women who gave birth in last two years preceding the survey. The researchers established a model to identify influential factors contributing to the utilization of ANC by logistic regression; model selection was by Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Household wealth, education, health condition, age at first marriage, number of children and spouse violence justification were found to be significantly associated with ANC coverage. Literate mothers are 2.45 times more likely to have ANC, and women whose newborns showed symptoms of illness at birth that needed hospitalization are 0.47 times less likely to access ANC. Women with an increase in the number of surviving children are 1.07 times less likely to have ANC, and those who think their spouse violence is socially justified are 1.36 times less likely to have ANC. The results draw attention towards evidence based planning of factors associated with utilization of ANC in the Balochistan province.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study reveals that women from high wealth index and having education had more chances to get ANC. Factors like younger age of the women at first marriage, increased number of children, symptoms of any illness to neonates at birth that need hospitalization and women who justify spouse violence had less chances to get ANC. Among components of ANC urine sampling and having tetanus toxoid (TT) in the last pregnancy increased the frequency of visits. ANC from a doctor decreased the number of visits. There is dire need to reduce disparities for wealth index, education and urban/rural living.
authors: Dr. Abdul Ghaffar, MBBS, Ph.D. College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. Planning Officer, Health Department, Government of Balochistan, Pakistan.
authors: Abdul
authors: A
authors: Ghaffar
authors: Dr. Sathirakorn Pongponich Ph.D. College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors: Sathirakorn
authors: S
authors: Pongponich
authors: Dr. Najma Ghaffar, FCPS. Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Bolan Medical Complex Hospital, Quetta, Pakistan.
authors: Najma
authors: N
authors: Ghaffar
authors: Dr. Tahir Mehmood, Ph.D. Statistics, Basic Science, Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan. Biostatistics, Dept. of Chemistry, Biotechnology & Food Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway.
authors: Tahir
authors: T
authors: Mehmood
keywords: Antenatal care services; Associated factors; Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey analysis; Utilization