A Cross-sectional Study on the Utilization of Antenatal Care Services by Pregnant Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Metropolitan City
Nikhil R. Thorat, Aritra Kumar Bose, Armaity Dehmubed, Abhiram KasbeIntroduction:
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted various aspects of people's lives, including health-care delivery and access to maternal and child health services. The current study aims to assess pregnant women's utilization of antenatal care (ANC) services during the COVID-19 pandemic in an urban health center in a metropolitan city.
Methodology:
A cross-sectional study was conducted at urban health and training centers run by Topiwala National Medical College in Mumbai, India. Convenient sampling was used to select 100 study participants who reported to the health center with a pregnancy history between June 2020 and June 2021 and continued till term. A prestructured interview schedule was used to collect data on the utilization of ANC care.
Results:
Only 53% of the participants completed the recommended four ANC visits, and a mere 20% could avail of the available government schemes. Compliance with the World Health Organization's recommended ANC practices was significantly lower due to the impact of the COVID pandemic.
Conclusion:
The study highlights the challenges faced by pregnant women in accessing ANC services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Innovative strategies such as telemedicine, online appointments for ANC checkups, and doorstep delivery of vaccines can be implemented to deal with such challenges.