Determinants of Postnatal Care (PNC) Knowledge and Perceptions among Women Utilizing PNC and Antenatal Care Services in the Oshana region, Namibia

African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Determinants of Postnatal Care (PNC) Knowledge and Perceptions among Women Utilizing PNC and Antenatal Care Services in the Oshana region, Namibia
 
Creator Moyo, Enos Moyo, Perseverance Dzinamarira, Tafadzwa Ross, Andrew
 
Subject Primary care; maternal health; postnatal care postnatal care knowledge; postnatal care perceptions; associated factors; Oshana region; Namibia
Description Background: Postnatal care (PNC) knowledge and positive perceptions are crucial for women’s utilisation of PNC services.Aim: The study aimed to assess the level of PNC knowledge, perceptions of PNC, and determinants of both among women.Setting: Public healthcare facilities in the Oshana region, Namibia.Methods: The study followed a quantitative cross-sectional survey design. A self-administered questionnaire was administered to 814 participants selected via systematic random sampling. PNC knowledge and perceptions were used separately as dependent variables. Participants’ characteristics were used as independent variables. Chi-square tests and binomial and multinomial logistic regression were used to analyse associations between PNC knowledge or perceptions and participants’ characteristics.Results: Among the participants, 55.6% (n = 434) demonstrated good PNC knowledge, while 27.3% (n = 213) had positive PNC perceptions. Participants who had no formal education, were unemployed, and did not utilise PNC services had a lower likelihood of having good PNC knowledge; adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.33, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.21–0.53, crude odds ratio (COR) = 0.68, 95% CI, 0.49–0.92; and AOR = 0.72, 95% CI, 0.52–0.98. Similarly, women who did not attend antenatal care had a lower likelihood of having positive PNC perceptions; COR = 0.56, 95% CI, 0.33–0.96.Conclusion: There is a need for multipronged interventions to improve PNC knowledge and perceptions among women in the Oshana region.Contribution: This study identified context-specific factors that influence women’s PNC knowledge and perceptions.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2025-09-11
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — survey
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/phcfm.v17i1.4738
 
Source African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine; Vol 17, No 1 (2025); 7 pages 2071-2936 2071-2928
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/4738/8598 https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/4738/8599 https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/4738/8600 https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/4738/8601
 
Coverage Africa; Namibia 2023-2024 18 years and above; Females; All races
Rights Copyright (c) 2025 Enos Moyo, Perseverance Moyo, Tafadzwa Dzinamarira, Andrew Ross https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
ADVERTISEMENT