Adolescent girls' and young mothers' knowledge and use of antenatal care in the Ahafo Region, Ghana: A cross-sectional study

Background: Antenatal care (ANC) is crucial to reducing maternal and neonatal deaths, but few studies examined adolescent girls' and young women's ANC utilisation and knowledge in Ghana. Aim: To assess adolescents' and young mothers' knowledge of ANC, utilisation and factors influencing its use in Ghana. Setting: Tano North Municipality, Ahafo Region. Methods: This community-based, cross-sectional study involved 440 adolescent and young mothers (between 10 and 24 years). A structured questionnaire was employed to collect data face-to-face. Descriptive and statistical analyses were performed, and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Of the 440 respondents, most were aged 20-24 years (61.2%), married (30.0%), Christians (78.2%), completed junior high school (JHS) (47.8%) and traders (38.9%). Postnatal mothers were 71.6% (315), and all had utilised ANC services. Antenatal care knowledge was good among 75% (330) respondents, with no significant variation by age. Religion influenced knowledge, with Muslims having lower knowledge. Antenatal care utilisation was high (> 50%) among those aged 15-19 years, married, Christians, JHS graduates and traders. Age, marital status and employment type significantly influenced ANC utilisation. Individuals in the age group 15-19 years and married women demonstrated higher odds of utilising ANC services. Casual workers and unemployed respondents were found to have lower odds of utilising ANC services compared to traders. Conclusion: Age, marital status, and employment type influenced ANC utilisation in the Ahafo Region. Adolescent mothers under 15 years had lower rates, requiring targeted interventions to improve pregnancy outcomes. Contribution: This study highlights the knowledge and factors influencing ANC use in Ahafo Region and adds to the existing research evidence on ANC.