Antenatal care coverage - at least four visits (%)
Percent of women aged 15−49 years with a live birth in a given time period who received antenatal care, four times or more.
Number of women aged 15−49 years with a live birth in a given time period who received antenatal care four or more times.
Total number of women aged 15−49 years with a live birth in the same period.
Age, place of residence, socioeconomic status, type of provider.
See also: Percent of women attended, at least once during their pregnancy, by skilled health personnel for reasons relating to the pregnancy; and Percent women attended at least four times for antenatal care during pregnancy
The number of women aged 15−49 years with a live birth in a given time period who received antenatal care four or more times during pregnancy is expressed as a percentage of women aged 15−49 with a live birth in the same period.
(Number of women aged 15−49 years attended at least four times during pregnancy by any provider for reasons related to the pregnancy/total number of women aged 15−49 years with a live birth) x 100.
The indicators of antenatal care (at least one visit and at least four visits) are based on standard questions that ask if and how many times the health of the woman was checked during pregnancy. This is because the key national-level household surveys do not collect information on type of provider for each visit. The indicators of antenatal care (at least one visit and at least four visits) are based on standard questions that ask if, how many times, and by whom the health of the woman was checked during pregnancy. Household surveys that can generate this indicator include DHS, MICS, FFS, RHS and other surveys based on similar methodologies. Service/facility reporting systems can be used where the coverage is high, usually in industrialized countries.
Household surveys
Routine facility information systems
This indicator provides information on women’s use of ANC services at the recommended level and can be used to track trends in utilization. Many health problems experienced by pregnant women can be prevented, detected and treated during ANC visits with trained health workers.
Receiving ANC care during pregnancy does not guarantee that women received all of the recommended and necessary interventions. However, at least four ANC visits increases the likelihood of receiving the full range of interventions (WHO, 2010).
With population-based surveys, recall error is a potential source of bias given that the surveys ask the respondent about each live birth for a period up to five years before the interview. The respondent may or may not know or remember the number of visits, particularly as this number increases. For data compiled at the health facility level, discrepancies are possible in recording and reporting numbers of visits and these data would differ from global figures based on survey data collected at the household level. In addition, data on women’s use of ANC from routine health records may lack information on pregnancies occurring outside the public health sector, including home and private facility deliveries.
Antenatal care, Maternal health
World Health Organization (WHO). 2015 Global Reference List of 100 Core Health Indicators.; 2015. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/173589/1/WHO_HIS_HSI_2015.3_eng.pdf
World Health Organization. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Review of National Health Strategies: A Country-Led Platform for Information and Accountability.; 2011. http://www.who.int/healthinfo/country_monitoring_evaluation/1085_IER_131011_web.pdf
MEASURE Evaluation. FP and Reproductive Health Indicators Database — MEASURE Evaluation. http://www.cpc.unc.edu/measure/prh/rh_indicators/
Further information and related links
Countdown to 2015 decade report (2000−2010): taking stock of maternal, newborn and child survival. Geneva and New York (NY): World Health Organization/United Nations Children’s Fund; 2010 (Retrieved from http://www.countdown2015mnch.org/reports-and-articles/previous-reports/2010-decadereport).
Indicators for monitoring the Millennium Development Goals: definitions, rationale, concepts and sources. New York (NY): United Nations; 2012 (Retrieved from http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mi/wiki/MainPage.ashx).
Keeping promises, measuring results. Commission on information and accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2011 (Retrieved from http://www.who.int/topics/millennium_development_goals/accountability_commission/Commission_Report_advance_copy.pdf).
World Health Assembly governing body documentation: official records. Geneva: World Health Organization (Retrieved from http://apps.who.int/gb/or/).
