Number of Antenatal Care Utilization and Associated Factors Among Pregnant Women in Ethiopia: Zero-Inflated Poisson Regression of 2019 Intermediate Ethiopian Demography Health Survey.

Abstract Background The frequency of antenatal care enhances the effectiveness of the program to reduce maternal and child mortality and morbidity. The aim of the study was to determine the number of antenatal care and associated factors in Ethiopia by using 2019 intermediate EDHS. Methods Secondary data analysis was done on 2019 intermediate EDHS. A total of 3,916.6 weighted pregnant women were included in the analysis. Zero-inflated Poisson regression analysis was done by Stata version 14.0. Incident rate ratio and odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval were used to show the strength and direction of the association. Result About one thousand six hundred eighty eight (43.11%) women were attending four and more antenatal care during current pregnancy. Attending primary education (IRR= 1.115, 95% CI: 1.061, 1.172), secondary education (IRR=1.211, 95% CI: 1.131, 1.297) and higher education (IRR=1.274, 95% CI: 1.177, 1.378), reside in poorer household wealth index (IRR= 1.074, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.152), middle household wealth index (IRR= 1.095, 95% CI: 1.018, 1.178), rich household wealth index (IRR=1.129, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.212) and richer household wealth index (IRR=1.186, 95% CI: 1.089, 1.29) increases the number of antenatal care utilization. The frequency of antenatal care was less likely become zero among women attending primary (AOR=0.434, 95% CI: 0.346, 0.545), secondary (AOR=0.113, 95% CI: 0.053, 0.24), higher educational level (AOR=0.052, 95% CI: 0.007, 0.367) in the inflated part. Conclusion The number of antenatal care utilization is low in Ethiopia. Being rural, poorest household index, uneducated and single were factors associated with low number of antenatal care and not attending antenatal care at all. Improving the educational coverage and wealth status of women is important to increase coverage of antenatal care.