ArticleBMJ global health2018
Not just a number: examining coverage and content of antenatal care in low-income and middle-income countries.
Article in BMJ global health, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 173 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
173 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 285 citations in OpenAlex.
- Under-five mortality and social determinants in africa: a systematic review.European journal of pediatrics · 2025Pooled it
- Respectful Maternal Care Experience in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023Pooled it
- The Impact of Women's Agency on Accessing and Using Maternal Healthcare Services: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- Community-based maternal and newborn educational care packages for improving neonatal health and survival in low- and middle-income countries.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Provision and uptake of routine antenatal services: a qualitative evidence synthesis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- New Antenatal Model in Africa and India (NAMAI) study: implementation research to improve antenatal care using WHO recommendations.Health research policy and systems · 2023Trial
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- From antenatal contact to facility-based delivery: a provincial analysis of dropout along the maternal continuum of care in Afghanistan using the 2022-23 MICS.Global health action · 2026Article
- Prevalence and determinants of obstetric violence during facility-based childbirth among postnatal women in Egypt.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Estimating the impact and cost-effectiveness of antenatal care approaches in 24 low- and middle-income countries: a modelling study.BMC global and public health · 2026Article
- The introduction of group antenatal care in northern Nigeria: an implementation research study analysing changes in service use.BMJ global health · 2026Article
- Factors Associated With Maternal Health Care Facilities Utilization in the Slum Communities of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal: A Cross-Sectional Study.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Determinants of Low Birth Weight in Ghana: Analysis of the 2022 Demographic and Health Survey.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Maternal Healthcare Access and Childbirth Outcomes in Rural, Resource-Limited Settings: Evidence from the Eastern Cape, South Africa.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Decomposition analysis and spatial change of age disparities in antenatal care utilisation among women with high-risk pregnancies in Nigeria.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Article
- Association between the ownership of home-based records and continuous, quality maternal and child health service utilisation: a multi-country analysis of Demographic Health Surveys from 18 low- and middle-income countries.Journal of global health · 2026Article
- Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes: A Cross-sectional Study of Prevalence and Associated Factors among Women Who Delivered at a Regional Hospital in Afghanistan.Indian journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine · 2026Article
113 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
introductionAntenatal care (ANC) provides a critical opportunity for women and babies to benefit from good-quality maternal care. Using 10 countries as an illustrative analysis, we described ANC coverage (number of visits and timing of first visit) and operationalised indicators for content of care as available in population surveys, and examined how these two approaches are related.
methodsWe used the most recent Demographic and Health Survey to analyse ANC related to women's most recent live birth up to 3 years preceding the survey. Content of care was assessed using six components routinely measured across all countries, and a further one to eight additional country-specific components. We estimated the percentage of women in need of ANC, and using ANC, who received each component, the six routine components and all components.
resultsIn all 10 countries, the majority of women in need of ANC reported 1+ ANC visits and over two-fifths reported 4+ visits. Receipt of the six routine components varied widely; blood pressure measurement was the most commonly reported component, and urine test and information on complications the least. Among the subset of women starting ANC in the first trimester and receiving 4+ visits, the percentage receiving all six routinely measured ANC components was low, ranging from 10% (Jordan) to around 50% in Nigeria, Nepal, Colombia and Haiti.
conclusionOur findings suggest that even among women with patterns of care that complied with global recommendations, the content of care was poor. Efficient and effective action to improve care quality relies on development of suitable content of care indicators.
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