ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2025
Only three out of ten women received adequate postnatal care in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from 20 countries demographic and health surveys (2015-2022).
Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Comparing the performance of statistical and machine learning survival models in predicting timing and determinants of postnatal care in Rwanda.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Left Behind After Birth: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Factors Associated With Postnatal Care Use in Sub-Saharan Africa.Journal of pregnancy · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe magnitude of maternal and neonatal death and morbidity during the postnatal period remains too high. In contrast to the decline in global mortality rates, maternal and neonatal deaths continue to occur at the highest rate in sub-Saharan Africa. Appropriate care during the postpartum period is vital to prevent neonatal and maternal deaths. This study is aimed at delivering evidence on the pooled prevalence and associated factors of adequate postnatal care using the recent demographic and health surveys from 20 sub-Saharan African countries.
methodsData from the recent demographic and health surveys of 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa conducted between 2015 and 2022 were used. A total weighted sample of 90,251 women aged 15-49 years with live births in the 2 years preceding the survey was included in the study. Multilevel logistic regression was used to determine the factors associated with the outcome variable. Intra-class correlation coefficient, likelihood ratio test, median odds ratio, and deviance (-2LLR) values were used for model comparison and fitness. Finally, variables with a p-value < 0.05 were declared statistically significant.
resultsThe overall pooled prevalence of adequate postnatal care among women aged 15-49 years in SSA countries was 27.42% (95% CI: 27.13%, 27.71%). Factors like age [AOR = 1.10; 95% CI (1.05, 1.16)], educational status [AOR = 1.52; 95% CI (1.39, 1.67)], marital status [AOR = 0.83; 95% CI (0.79, 0.88)], working status [AOR = 0.81; 95% CI (0.78, 0.84)], media exposure [AOR = 1.05; 95% CI (1.01, 1.09)], sex of the household head [AOR = 1.13; 95% CI (1.08, 1.18)], household size [AOR = 1.07; 95% CI (1.03, 1.12)], number of ANC visits [AOR = 3.38; 95% CI (3.04, 3.75)], place of delivery [AOR = 3.77; 95% CI (3.57, 3.99)], prenatal community health workers visit [AOR = 1.45; 95% CI (1.39, 1.51)], and residence [AOR = 1.26; 95% CI (1.21, 1.32)] were significantly associated with adequate postnatal care.
conclusionOnly nearly three out of ten women received adequate postnatal care in sub-Saharan African countries. Adequacy of postnatal care was determined by the age of respondents, educational status, current marital status, working status, media exposure, sex of the household head, household size, number of ANC visits, place of delivery, prenatal community health workers visit, and residence. Therefore, women's empowerment through education, employment, and decision-making involvement; strengthening ANC service utilization and health facility delivery; information dissemination through media; promoting prenatal care through community health workers home-to-home visits; and giving special attention to unmarried, young, and non-working women are strongly recommended.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.