The profile and predictors of early prenatal booking among pregnant women in Enugu, Southeast Nigeria

Background: Early booking in the first trimester is recommended, and it is known to be of great benefit for the mother and the fetus. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the profile and predictors of early prenatal booking among pregnant women in Enugu, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 consecutive pregnant women attending booking clinic at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria. Statistical analysis was both descriptive and inferential at 95% confidence level, and carried out using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 22.0, IBM SPSS, Chicago, Illinois. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean gestational age at booking was 18.6 ± 8.4 weeks. Although 37% (n = 74) of the women booked early in the first trimester; only 36% of the respondents (n = 72) were aware of the right time to book for prenatal care. More than half (56.8%, 42 of 74) of the women, who booked early for prenatal care, had problems in their last pregnancies, whereas 43.2% (n = 32 of 74) of them had problems in their index pregnancies. Parity, secondary level of education, and problems in the previous and index pregnancies were significantly associated with early booking after adjusting for other variables in the multiple logistic regression analysis (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Pregnant women in Enugu still book late for prenatal care. There is a need to create more awareness in this regard among women of reproductive age. Factors contributing to early booking in Enugu, include parity, secondary level of education as well as problems in the previous and index pregnancies.