ArticleJournal of epidemiology and global health2025
Antenatal Care Utilization in Somalia, 2020 Somalia Demographic Health Survey.
Article in Journal of epidemiology and global health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed.
- Strengthening Primary Health Care for Improved Population Health and Health Equity in Somalia: A Narrative Review.Public health challenges · 2026Review
- Somalia's new community health strategy: Strengthening primary health care and health system resilience.Preventive medicine reports · 2026Article
- Lived experiences of first-time mothers receiving postpartum social support at Banadir Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia: a phenomenological qualitative study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Emergency obstetric and newborn care in conflict-affected Somalia: rural access inequities, referral barriers, and health-system priorities - a policy and practice review.Frontiers in global women's health · 2026Review
- Fear Over Facts: Barriers to Timely Antenatal Ultrasound in Somalia-A Case-Based Multidisciplinary Commentary.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2026Article
- Zero-inflated negative binomial modelling of antenatal care utilization and it's predictors in Somaliland:Frontiers in global women's health · 2026Article
- Predictors of antenatal care service utilization among women of reproductive age in Somalia: a systematic review.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2026Review
- Maternal and Newborn Health in Somalia: A Narrative Review of Health System Challenges and Public Health Priorities.International journal of women's health · 2026Review
- Determinants of counseling on neonatal danger signs among women in Somalia: a multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression analysis of the 2020 SDHS.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Article
- Conflict-Related Disruption of Maternal Health Services: A Case Report of Maternal Death in Transit Due to Obstructed Labour in Somalia.International medical case reports journal · 2026Article
- From Fragmented Projects to an Integrated, Conflict-Sensitive Reproductive Health System for Women in Somalia.International journal of women's health · 2026Article
- Maternal and Neonatal Mortality in Somalia: A Persistent Women's Health Crisis Requiring Primary Health Care and Community Health System Reform.International journal of women's health · 2026Article
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7 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundDespite global efforts to enhance maternal healthcare access, Somalia has reported one of the highest maternal mortality rates, at 621 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. This occurs amid conflict, humanitarian crises, and a fragile health infrastructure. Antenatal care is critical for reducing maternal deaths.
methodsThis cross-sectional study utilized data from the 2020 Somalia Demographic and Health Survey (SDHS), focusing on 3,375 women aged 14-45 years who had delivered live births in the five years preceding the survey. The primary outcome was antenatal care utilization, defined as the attendance of four or more antenatal care (ANC) visits (ANC4+). The independent variables captured maternal, household, and geographic characteristics, including residence type (urban, rural, nomadic), and regional disparities across Somalia's 16 administrative divisions. A weighted binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify associated factors.
resultsOverall, only 7.0% of the women received the WHO-recommended minimum of four ANC visits, indicating an alarmingly low utilization rate. Significant disparities were identified, with nomadic women facing 90% lower odds and rural women facing 70% lower odds of adequate ANC than their urban counterparts. Regional variations were striking: Lower Jubba and Nugaal showed significantly higher ANC utilization, whereas Togdheer exhibited significantly lower utilization than the reference region (Awdal). Notably, the statistical significance of the wealth quintile and education diminished in the adjusted model, suggesting that their effects might be mediated by other factors, such as urban-rural disparities.
conclusionThis study reveals that only 7 out of 100 pregnancies in Somalia receive the WHO-recommended minimum of four ANC visits, placing Somalia among the lowest-performing countries globally for antenatal care utilization. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions and equity-focused policies to close the maternal health service gaps, particularly in nomadic and rural populations.
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