Determinants of frequency and contents of antenatal care visits in Bangladesh: Assessing the extent of compliance with the WHO recommendations

BACKGROUND: In addition to the number of antenatal care (ANC) visits, the items of ANC services covered by ANC visits greatly influence the effectiveness of the ANC services. Recently the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended not only to achieve a minimum of eight ANC visits, but also to use a core set of items of ANC services for safe motherhood. This study examined the levels and determinants of frequency and contents of ANC visits in Bangladesh and thus assessed the level of compliance with the WHO recommended number and the content of ANC services during pregnancy in Bangladesh. METHODS: The data for the study come from the 2014 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS), which covereda nationally representative sample of…