Table 1 Description of study variables, East Gojjam Zone, Northwest Ethiopia, January 2019–September 2020
Variables | Description | Measurement |
|---|---|---|
Dependent Variable | ||
Number of ANC follow-ups | Mother were asked how many ANC visits did they have for their last pregnancy | This was recorded as 0 for less than four visits and 1 for four ANC visits |
Independent Variables | ||
Level 1 Variables | ||
Individual level variables | ||
Age | Age of the participant in completed years | A continuous variable and recoded in to three categories 15–19, 20–29 and 30–49 |
Level of education | The highest level of education that the mother attended | Categorized in to four groups: Non-formal education, Primary education (1–8), secondary education (9–12) and above 12 grade |
Marital status | Marital status of respondents | Categorized in to four categories: Single, married, separated, widowed |
Wealth quantile | Questions were adopted from EDHS and wealth index was computed using principal component analysis | Categorized in to five categories: Poorest, Poor, Medium, Rich and Richest |
Parity | Total number of deliveries a mother had | Categorized in to three categories: one, 2–4 deliveries and ≥ 5 deliveries |
Knowledge on ANC | Knowledge of the respondents on the services needed and provided during ANC: Do pregnant mother need ANC, Do pregnant mother need ANC regardless of illness, time to initiate ANC, minimum number of ANC visits, need for TT vaccination, How many TT vaccinations needed, the need for ion folate during pregnancy and the need for additional food during pregnancy. | A composite index of these eight variables was created and dichotomized using the mean score: Those who score the mean and above were categorized as ‘Knowledgeable’, those who score below the mean ‘Not knowledgeable’ |
Knowledge on danger signs of Pregnancy | Knowledge of the respondents of danger signs of pregnancy: Vaginal bleeding, Sudden gush of fluid or leaking of fluid from vagina, dizziness and blurring of vision, Severe headache not relieved by simple analgesics, Sustained vomiting, swelling, loss of fetal movement, convulsion, Premature onset of contractions (before 37 weeks), Severe or unusual abdominal pain and chills/fever. | A composite index of these eleven variables was created and dichotomized using the mean score: Those who score the mean and above were categorized as ‘Knowledgeable’, those who score below the mean ‘Not knowledgeable’ |
Pregnancy wontedness | Participants were asked whether their last pregnancy was wonted or not | Coded as ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ |
Gestational age at first ANC | Gestational age while mothers visited health facility for their first ANC visit | Recoded in to two categories as: ‘greater than three 16 weeks’ and less than or equal to 16 weeks |
Compassionate and respectful care | A mother receiving MHC in a compassionate and respectful way: free of physical abuse, detention, non-confidential care, non-consented care, abandonment/neglect, and non-dignified care | Coded as ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ |
Level 2 Variables | ||
Community Level | ||
Place of residence | The place where the respondent usually belongs | Coded as Urban and rural |
Average Distance | Approximate distance of participants home from nearby health facility in minutes/on foot | A continuous variable, recoded in 2 categories: 0–30 min as ‘0’ otherwise ‘1’ |
Influence of significant others in the process of receiving MHC | Participants were asked whether there is anyone who negatively influences them on the process of utilizing MHS at health facilities | Coded as ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ |
Social Support | Fourteen elements of SS questions: gets visits from significant others, getting useful advises, discussion on problems, having care at the time of labor and delivery, feeling loved, others thankful on them, getting help on household chores, help with money at emergency, help in transportation, card when sick, attending community level discussions, member of any religious cast, attending public meetings and help in case of conflicts | A principal component analysis was conducted, and a composite index was created using the principal components, and this was dichotomized using the mean score: those who score the mean and above were categorized as having ‘Good social support’ and otherwise ‘Poor social support’ |
Facility Level | ||
Receiving maternal health care free of charge | Respondents were asked about their facility MHC visit and the payment associated with it | Participants who always got the service free of charge coded as ‘1’, most of the time as ‘2’, and never ‘3’ |
CBBSI Intervention | Kebele/clusters were identified as intervention and control based on the intervention (checklist based box system interventions on improving utilization of maternal health service utilization) received | Coded as intervention and control |