Antenatal Care

Behavior Profile Sample: Antenatal Care

A Behavior Profile is a summary analysis of each behavior. This sample draws from global evidence and illustrates the result of using the Create Behavior Profiles Tool to analyze factors, supporting actors and strategies and to ensure logical pathways exist between strategies proposed and factors related to the practice of the behavior. This sample may be used as a starting point or reference for creating Behavior Profiles.

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Health Goal	Improve maternal and child survival
Accelerator Behavior	Pregnant women complete a full course of quality antenatal care (ANC) Percentage of women who had a live birth in the three years preceding the survey who had 4+ antenatal care visits

Behavior Analysis	Strategy
STEPS What steps are needed to practice this behavior? Recognise signs and symptoms of pregnancy Decide to seek ANC early, by the end of the first trimester Plan transport, resources and logistics Attend all recommended ANC visits Obtain all required services from qualified provider at each visit Adhere to provider instructions during and following each visit, including when to return for the next visit Click on any box to see the pathwaysA pathway illustrates how elements in the Behavior Profile are linked. When read from right to left, a pathway highlights how strategies are expected to address the factors to enable adoption of the Accelerator Behavior. of the behavior.	FACTORS What factors may prevent or support practice of this behavior? These should be analyzed for each country context. Structural Accessibility: Households are far from facilities Accessibility: Many women struggle to afford the cost inherent in multiple ANC visits and they do not see the value of their investment Service Provider Competencies: Many providers do not counsel mothers nor explain the benefits of the different services, tests and medication or supplements given during ANC Social Norms: Many societies have strict cultural or traditional practices around disclosure of pregnancy, discouraging early ANC Family and Community Support: Pregnant adolescents are often reluctant to seek early care because of stigma and risk that they might be asked to leave school Family and Community Support: Often pregnant women are not encouraged or supported to complete all ANC visits Internal Attitudes and Beliefs: Women do not always perceive a value to multiple ANC visits, especially if they have already had one or more healthy pregnancies Knowledge: Most women say that ANC is important and most attend at least one visit	SUPPORTING ACTORS AND ACTIONS Who must support the practice of this behavior? Institutional Policymakers: Ensure teenage mothers can still attend school Policymakers: Ensure maternity care is accessible to most vulnerable via insurance schemes, conditional cash transfers (CCTs) or other financing Providers: Offer counseling and support to pregnant women during ANC including thorough explanations of services provided, importance of multiple visits and adherence to supplements or medication given Household Family Members: Actively participate in ANC and support woman, especially first-time mothers and adolescents, in all aspects of pregnancy and delivery planning	POSSIBLE PROGRAM STRATEGIES How might we focus our efforts based on this analysis? Enabling Environment Financing: Finance task-shifting and explore community-based service delivery such as iron folate supplements Policies and Governance: Encourage policies that permit pregnant teenagers to attend school Systems, Products and Services Quality Improvement: Train and support providers to emphasize the value of completing all ANC visits as well as active birth planning Demand and Use Communication: Use targeted media, including SMS where possible, to tailor reminders and tips for pregnant women and their families on both ANC attendance and adherence to supplements like IFA Communication: Create pregnancy and new-mother groups to help mothers understand the benefit of care throughout pregnancy and the post-partum period Collective Engagement: Use traditional leaders and traditional birth attendants to encourage women to seek early and multiple ANC visits

Behavior Analysis

Strategy

STEPS

What steps are needed to practice this behavior?

Recognise signs and symptoms of pregnancy
Decide to seek ANC early, by the end of the first trimester
Plan transport, resources and logistics
Attend all recommended ANC visits
Obtain all required services from qualified provider at each visit
Adhere to provider instructions during and following each visit, including when to return for the next visit

Click on any box
to see the pathwaysA pathway illustrates how elements in the Behavior Profile are linked. When read from right to left, a pathway highlights how strategies are expected to address the factors to enable adoption of the Accelerator Behavior.
of the behavior.

FACTORS

What factors may prevent or support practice of this behavior? These should be analyzed for each country context.

Structural

Accessibility: Households are far from facilities

Accessibility: Many women struggle to afford the cost inherent in multiple ANC visits and they do not see the value of their investment

Service Provider Competencies: Many providers do not counsel mothers nor explain the benefits of the different services, tests and medication or supplements given during ANC

Social

Norms: Many societies have strict cultural or traditional practices around disclosure of pregnancy, discouraging early ANC

Family and Community Support: Pregnant adolescents are often reluctant to seek early care because of stigma and risk that they might be asked to leave school

Family and Community Support: Often pregnant women are not encouraged or supported to complete all ANC visits

Internal

Attitudes and Beliefs: Women do not always perceive a value to multiple ANC visits, especially if they have already had one or more healthy pregnancies

Knowledge: Most women say that ANC is important and most attend at least one visit

SUPPORTING ACTORS AND ACTIONS

Who must support the practice of this behavior?

Institutional

Policymakers: Ensure teenage mothers can still attend school

Policymakers: Ensure maternity care is accessible to most vulnerable via insurance schemes, conditional cash transfers (CCTs) or other financing

Providers: Offer counseling and support to pregnant women during ANC including thorough explanations of services provided, importance of multiple visits and adherence to supplements or medication given

Household

Family Members: Actively participate in ANC and support woman, especially first-time mothers and adolescents, in all aspects of pregnancy and delivery planning

POSSIBLE PROGRAM STRATEGIES

How might we focus our efforts based on this analysis?

Enabling Environment

Financing: Finance task-shifting and explore community-based service delivery such as iron folate supplements

Policies and Governance: Encourage policies that permit pregnant teenagers to attend school

Systems, Products and Services

Quality Improvement: Train and support providers to emphasize the value of completing all ANC visits as well as active birth planning

Demand and Use

Communication: Use targeted media, including SMS where possible, to tailor reminders and tips for pregnant women and their families on both ANC attendance and adherence to supplements like IFA

Communication: Create pregnancy and new-mother groups to help mothers understand the benefit of care throughout pregnancy and the post-partum period

Collective Engagement: Use traditional leaders and traditional birth attendants to encourage women to seek early and multiple ANC visits

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