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Antenatal Care Research in East Africa During the Millennium Development Goals Initiative: A Scoping Review

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Abstract

Introduction

The global burden of maternal mortality remains high and inequitably distributed between countries. Antenatal care (ANC) was identified as critical component in achieving the Millennium Development Goal of improving maternal health. This scoping review aimed to summarize trends and critically explore research about ANC attendance for East African women conducted during the Millennium Development Goals initiative, with a specific focus on barriers to ANC access.

Methods

Using a scoping review methodology, aggregator databases were searched for relevant articles. Articles were screened by independent reviewers using a priori inclusion criteria. Eligible articles were retained for data charting and analysis.

Results

Following screening, 211 articles were analyzed. The number of relevant articles increased over time; utilized primarily quantitative methods; and involved authors with affiliations from various African countries. Many interrelated physical, social, and cultural factors influenced women’s seeking, reaching, and receiving of quality ANC. The extent of studies identified suggest that ANC is a priority research area, yet key gaps in the literature exist. Limited qualitative research, and few articles examining ANC experiences of women from vulnerable groups (e.g. adolescents, women with a disability, and Indigenous women) were identified.

Discussion

These context-specific findings are important considering the Sustainable Development Goals aim to nearly triple the maternal mortality reductions by 2030. In order to achieve this goal, interventions should focus on improving the quality of ANC care and patient–provider interactions. Furthermore, additional qualitative research examining vulnerable populations of women and exploring the inclusion of men in ANC would help inform interventions intended to improve ANC attendance in East Africa.

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Data Availability

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr. Jan Sargeant for providing valuable feedback on early drafts of the scoping review protocol, Chole Zivot for her help with article screening and data extraction, Carlee Wright for her assistance with graphics and feedback on data analysis, and Teresa Lewitsky for her assistance with graphics. This research was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The funders did not play a role in study design; data collection, analysis, or interpretation; manuscript writing; or, the decision to submit the article for publication.

Funding

This research was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The funders did not play a role in study design; data collection, analysis, or interpretation; manuscript writing; or, the decision to submit the article for publication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada

    Vivienne Steele, Kaitlin Patterson & Sherilee L. Harper

  2. Priestley Centre for Climate Change, Leeds University, Leeds, LS2 9JT, York, UK

    Lea Berrang-Ford

  3. School of Medicine, Queen’s University, 15 Arch Street, Kingston, ON, K7L 3L4, Canada

    Nia King

  4. School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, 600 Peter Morand Crescent, Ottawa, ON, K1G 5Z3, Canada

    Manisha Kulkarni

  5. Department of Geography, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda

    Shuaib Lwasa

  6. Ministry of Health, Plot 6, Lourdel Road, Kampala, Uganda

    Didacus B. Namanya

  7. School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 116 St & 85 Ave, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1C9, Canada

    Sherilee L. Harper

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Contributions

VS: Conceptualization, methodology, analysis, data curation, writing original draft, writing review and editing. KP: Conceptualization, methodology, analysis, writing review and editing, supervision. LBF: Conceptualization, methodology, writing review and editing, supervision, funding acquisition. NK: Data curation, writing original draft, writing review and editing. MK: Conceptualization, methodology, writing review and editing, supervision. SL: Conceptualization, methodology, writing review and editing, supervision, funding acquisition. DBN: Conceptualization, methodology, writing review and editing, supervision, funding acquisition. SLH: Conceptualization, methodology, writing review and editing, supervision, funding acquisition.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Vivienne Steele, Kaitlin Patterson, Nia King or Sherilee L. Harper.

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This scoping review is not based upon clinical study or patient data; ethics approval was therefore not required.

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Steele, V., Patterson, K., Berrang-Ford, L. et al. Antenatal Care Research in East Africa During the Millennium Development Goals Initiative: A Scoping Review. Matern Child Health J 26, 469–480 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-021-03355-5

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