• Most. Tanzila Khatun, Ph. D.

Antenatal care is very much essential for mother and upcoming child in the world. Appropriate utilization of Antenatal Care (ANC) can prevent complications and ensures better maternal and child health care. Ensures early detection and management of antenatal risk factors, birth preparedness and complication readiness. However the present study has conducted to assess the awareness of rural and urban mothers regarding antenatal care; to determine the impact of awareness of rural and urban mothers regarding ANC; to examine the relationship between the awareness and impact on ANC of mothers; to determine the level of awareness and impact of antenatal care of the mothers. Total 442 antenatal mothers were selected for the study. Among them 241 mothers from rural and 201 mothers from urban area as considered their living place. Determinant the living place: those mothers were living outside the Rajshani or far from Rajshani city, they are considered as rural mothers and those mothers were living within the Rajshani city or near the Rajshani city, they are considered as urban mothers. Data were collected from primary and secondary sources. Primary data were collected from the respondents of study area. Secondary data were collected from books, research report, journals and internet. Questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were collected through face to face interview with questionnaire and secondary data were collected by reviewing books, research report, journals and internet etc. Data were computerized, analyzed and interpreted using of SPSS (Statistical package for social science) Windows software program version 16. From the result it was found that economic barriers and lack of education are significant predictors for the non utilization of ANC services. Respondents from rural areas with low-income families in Bangladesh have lower odds of utilizing ANC. Respondents with a lower level of education and those with less educated husbands, who had no access to media, had a lower chance of utilizing ANC services. In some cases mothers are eager to take ANC but their husband or guardians are not eager to take ANC. Some women did not take ANC due to lack of knowledge about ANC. These barriers can be mitigated by introducing mandatory free school education and reducing the cost of maternal healthcare services or providing special financing in the health sector via insurance or different organizations. The people of Bangladesh go to government and private hospitals or clinic to receive or utilization of ANC. Higher class society go to private hospitals or clinic to receive or utilization of ANC lower class or poor people go to government hospitals or health facilities to receive or utilization of ANC.The findings of this study showed the pandemic situation reduced the utilization of antenatal care services among pregnant women in the study area. Thus, the age of the mother, residency, educational status, history of still birth, interruption, and diversion of maternity health-care service, fear of COVID-19 pandemic, and transport inaccessibility were significant factors which contributed to the low antenatal care service utilization of pregnant women. From the study it can be recommended that cost of medical services related to ANC should be reduced in all kinds of health facilities. ANC can be done by extending the role of family planning providers to detecting pregnancy intention and motivating women to receive ANC, as well as making them collaborate with ANC providers to prespecified healthcare centers for ANC services. Policies and programs focusing on religious and cultural norms are also important to successfully increasing ANC uptake, particularly among communities where illiteracy and poverty are higher. Attention needs to be given to increase the level of autonomy of women, in particular their autonomy in decision making and economic matters. It is equally important to pay attention to women’s age at birth, number of children, intervals between births and access to antenatal care services so as to improve mothers’ reproductive health and pregnancy outcomes for both mother and child. It is recommended to improve the socioeconomic status, diversifying food intake including iron-rich foods and iron supplementation of pregnant women. Greater efforts are required to encourage early antenatal attendance for these at risk pregnant women. Moreover, using family planning methods and to enhance maternal health nutrition education intervention is highly recommended to potentially reduce the prevalence of anemia during pregnancy.

Antenatal Care, Utilization, Awareness, Maternal health, Antenatal visits, Mother’s education, Knowledge, Hospital. Care provider

"Mothers Awareness on Antenatal Care and Newborn Health in Rajshahi Division", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 3, page no.d224-d253, March-2025, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2503326.pdf

"Mothers Awareness on Antenatal Care and Newborn Health in Rajshahi Division", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 3, page no. ppd224-d253, March-2025, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2503326.pdf