Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40445945›Full record

ArticlePloS one2025

What we know and don't know about the antenatal care service utilization in Ethiopia: A scoping review of the literature.

Amanuel Yoseph, Kibru Kifle, Yohannes Seifu Berego, Mehretu Belayneh, Alemu Tamiso, G Mutwiri, Francisco Guillen-Grima

Abstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Amanuel YosephSchool of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7708-6370
Kibru KifleSchool of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia.
Yohannes Seifu BeregoDepartment of Environmental Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia.
Mehretu BelaynehSchool of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia.
Alemu TamisoSchool of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia.
G MutwiriSchool of Public Health, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Francisco Guillen-GrimaDepartment of Health Sciences, Public University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionIn Ethiopia, there has been considerable recent investment and prioritization in the maternal health program. However, coverage rates have been low and stagnant for a long time, indicating the existence of systemic utilization barriers. Therefore, it is fundamental to synthesize the current body of knowledge to successfully address these problems and enhance program effectiveness to increase antenatal care (ANC) uptake.

methodsWe conducted a scoping review of the literature. Using various combinations of search strategies, we searched Pubmed/Medline, WHO Library, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and Google for this review. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) were used to conduct the review. We included studies that used any study design, data collection, and analysis methods related to antenatal care utilization.

resultsA total of 76 studies, national surveys, and estimates were included in this review. The analysis revealed that ANC utilization coverage varied considerably by region, from 27% in Somali to 90.6% in the Oromia region, with significant disparities in socioeconomic status, access to healthcare, and vaccination knowledge. Ten priority research areas covering various aspects of the national ANC services were identified through a comprehensive review of the existing body of knowledge led by experts using the Delphi method.

conclusionThe barriers to recommended ANC service utilization differ depending on the context, suggesting that evidence-based, locally customized interventions must be developed and implemented. This review also identified evidence gaps, focusing on health system-related utilization barriers at the lower level, and identified additional research priorities in Ethiopia's ANC service. The first step in developing and executing targeted program approaches could be identifying coverage of ANC services utilization among those with disadvantages.

Indexed as

Patient Acceptance of Health CarePrenatal CareEthiopiaFemaleHealth Services AccessibilityHumansPregnancy

Identifiers

PMID40445945
PMCPMC12124521

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.