Antenatal Care Utilization and Effect of Husbands’ Cohabiting in Nigerian Households

Temitope O. Adeyoju, eHealth Systems Africa and University of the Witwatersrand

Nigeria is characterized by high maternal mortality despite reproductive health programmes to boost awareness on the benefits of antenatal care (ANC). One of the goals of ANC is to screen and identify patients who are at high risk of having complications during child birth especially in Sub-Saharan Africa where patronage of quacks is still high. In recent times, studies have shown how men’s role contributes to better outcomes for their pregnant wives (UNFPA 2009; USAID 2010; Varkey et al. 2004). Using the 2013 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey female data, this study investigates if and the extent to which cohabitation of both partners influence their full antenatal visit. Results show that 57.8% of women attended antenatal and 90% live with their partners. Women who live with their male partners were more likely to attend antenatal than those women whose husband lives elsewhere. The implication of the findings will be discussed.