Barriers to completion of maternal and neonatal continuum of care services in Assosa Zone, north-western Ethiopia
Background: The continuum of care (CoC) in maternal and neonatal services among women in Ethiopia was low because of individual and cultural barriers. Aim: This study aims to identify factors that hindered the utilisation of the CoC services. Setting: The study took place in the Assosa Zone of nor...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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AOSIS
2025-03-01
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| Series: | African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/4718 |
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| author | Solomon Abtew Rose M. Mmusi-Phetoe |
| author_facet | Solomon Abtew Rose M. Mmusi-Phetoe |
| author_sort | Solomon Abtew |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: The continuum of care (CoC) in maternal and neonatal services among women in Ethiopia was low because of individual and cultural barriers.
Aim: This study aims to identify factors that hindered the utilisation of the CoC services.
Setting: The study took place in the Assosa Zone of north-western Ethiopia.
Methods: A qualitative study using audio-taped individual interviews was conducted. A total of 52 study participants were purposefully recruited from the Assosa Zone. Thematic analysis was employed to identify major themes and categories from the transcripts.
Results: Findings revealed the economic situation of women as the underlying barrier to women accessing and utilising maternal and neonatal CoC services. Presumably, high transport and medical costs and the inability to pay the raised costs were drivers to discontinuity of the CoC of maternal and neonatal services. Other barriers to utilisation of CoC services were found to be workload in the households, secreting pregnancy, traditional beliefs, husbands’ attitude and religion, awareness gaps in pregnancy, and maternal and neonatal care. These factors are thus regarded as important barriers to the utilisation of continuity of care in maternal and neonatal services in Ethiopia.
Conclusion: Moreover, economic, cultural and religious factors, maternal awareness and husbands featured as significant barriers to the utilisation of maternal and neonatal CoC services in Ethiopia.
Contribution: The findings revealed the economic situation of women as a barrier to the CoC in maternal and neonatal services utilisation, manifesting itself in unaffordable transport and medication user fees. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4104b9a0bc8f4507a38ca4d56cd69f61 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2071-2928 2071-2936 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-4104b9a0bc8f4507a38ca4d56cd69f612025-08-20T01:50:57ZengAOSISAfrican Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine2071-29282071-29362025-03-01171e1e1210.4102/phcfm.v17i1.47181227Barriers to completion of maternal and neonatal continuum of care services in Assosa Zone, north-western EthiopiaSolomon Abtew0Rose M. Mmusi-Phetoe1Ethiopian Public Health Association, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and Department of Public Health, College of Human Sciences, University of South Africa, PretoriaDepartment of Public Health, College of Human Sciences, University of South Africa, PretoriaBackground: The continuum of care (CoC) in maternal and neonatal services among women in Ethiopia was low because of individual and cultural barriers. Aim: This study aims to identify factors that hindered the utilisation of the CoC services. Setting: The study took place in the Assosa Zone of north-western Ethiopia. Methods: A qualitative study using audio-taped individual interviews was conducted. A total of 52 study participants were purposefully recruited from the Assosa Zone. Thematic analysis was employed to identify major themes and categories from the transcripts. Results: Findings revealed the economic situation of women as the underlying barrier to women accessing and utilising maternal and neonatal CoC services. Presumably, high transport and medical costs and the inability to pay the raised costs were drivers to discontinuity of the CoC of maternal and neonatal services. Other barriers to utilisation of CoC services were found to be workload in the households, secreting pregnancy, traditional beliefs, husbands’ attitude and religion, awareness gaps in pregnancy, and maternal and neonatal care. These factors are thus regarded as important barriers to the utilisation of continuity of care in maternal and neonatal services in Ethiopia. Conclusion: Moreover, economic, cultural and religious factors, maternal awareness and husbands featured as significant barriers to the utilisation of maternal and neonatal CoC services in Ethiopia. Contribution: The findings revealed the economic situation of women as a barrier to the CoC in maternal and neonatal services utilisation, manifesting itself in unaffordable transport and medication user fees.https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/4718barrierscontinuum of carematernal and neonatal healthservice utilisationassosa zone |
| spellingShingle | Solomon Abtew Rose M. Mmusi-Phetoe Barriers to completion of maternal and neonatal continuum of care services in Assosa Zone, north-western Ethiopia African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine barriers continuum of care maternal and neonatal health service utilisation assosa zone |
| title | Barriers to completion of maternal and neonatal continuum of care services in Assosa Zone, north-western Ethiopia |
| title_full | Barriers to completion of maternal and neonatal continuum of care services in Assosa Zone, north-western Ethiopia |
| title_fullStr | Barriers to completion of maternal and neonatal continuum of care services in Assosa Zone, north-western Ethiopia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Barriers to completion of maternal and neonatal continuum of care services in Assosa Zone, north-western Ethiopia |
| title_short | Barriers to completion of maternal and neonatal continuum of care services in Assosa Zone, north-western Ethiopia |
| title_sort | barriers to completion of maternal and neonatal continuum of care services in assosa zone north western ethiopia |
| topic | barriers continuum of care maternal and neonatal health service utilisation assosa zone |
| url | https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/4718 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT solomonabtew barrierstocompletionofmaternalandneonatalcontinuumofcareservicesinassosazonenorthwesternethiopia AT rosemmmusiphetoe barrierstocompletionofmaternalandneonatalcontinuumofcareservicesinassosazonenorthwesternethiopia |