With relatively sufficient antenatal health service supplies in eastern rural China, the utilization still needs to be improved. The objective of this study was to identify factors that correlate with antenatal care (ANC) utilization from the demand-side in Jiangsu, China. In a cross-sectional survey, a sample of 896 rural women who had a childbearing history in the previous 5 years answered ANC questions and formed the final analysis. Questionnaire was designed based on Andersen's behavioral model. The outcome variables included receiving times and items of prescribed ANC utilization, and the explanatory variables were organized into 3 hierarchical levels: predisposing, enabling, and need factors. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were conducted. In the results of multivariate logistic regression, factors significantly associated with ANC examination times included income, odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) = 2.90 (1.92-4.39); the distance from the nearest hospital, OR (95% CI) = 0.67 (0.47-0.95); chronic disease, OR (95% CI) = 1.77 (1.15-2.72); and parity, OR (95% CI) = 0.66 (0.46-0.95), while factors significantly associated with ANC examination items included education, OR (95% CI) = 8.02 (1.08-59.67); income, OR (95% CI) = 3.90 (1.72-8.85); female medical staff in towns and villages, OR (95% CI) = 2.64 (1.39-5.02); and parity, OR (95% CI) = 0.41 (0.23-0.75). In reducing inadequate ANC utilization in rural area, efforts should be made not only to target the rural women with lower income, lower educational level, and multi-parity, but also to further improve the accessibility of the primary medical facilities and female staff at the grassroots level.
Keywords: China; antenatal care; cross-sectional studies; logistic regression; maternal health; prenatal care; rural population; surveys and questionnaires.