UTILIZATION OF ANTENATAL CARE SERVICE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A DESCRIPTIVE CROSSECTIONAL STUDY

Abstrak

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a bad impact on the provision of essential health services, especially health services for pregnant women. The aim of this study was to assess the antenatal visits conducted by pregnant women at health care facilities in 2020 throughout the Southeast Sulawesi region. This study was an online crosssectional survey conducted from December 1 to December 30, 2020. All pregnant women residing in the Southeast Sulawesi region were invited to participate in the survey. The survey link was distributed through the personal network of research team members through application such as WhatsApp, line, and Facebook as well. Overall, during the pandemic, there was a decrease in the number of antenatal visits, which was only 39% in July 2020. In the following months, the percentage of antenatal visits improved and reached a peak of 72.9% in November 2020. Policy makers should design appropriate maternal health services during pandemic situations to improve attendance and utilization of antenatal care service