Pooled prevalence of maternal continuum of care dropout and associated factors among mothers in 41 low-income and middle-income countries: a multi-country cross-sectional study after the Sustainable Development Goals

Objectives This study aimed to assess the pooled proportion of dropout from the maternal continuum of care (CoC) and its associated factors in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Study design Cross-sectional study using nationally representative demographic and health survey (DHS) data.

Setting 41 LMICs with DHS data available after the establishment of the Sustainable Development Goals from 2016 to 2024 were included. A total of 217 083 (weighted 213 474) women were included. Using Stata V.17.0, a multilevel binary logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the factors associated with dropout from the CoC. The adjusted ORs (AORs) with 95% CIs were calculated, and p Participants Women of reproductive age (15 to 49 years) who had at least one live birth within 2 years preceding the survey.

Primary outcome Dropout from the CoC was the primary outcome of this study, defined as initiating antenatal care but failing to receive skilled birth attendance and/or postnatal care.

Results The pooled proportion of CoC dropout was 50% (95% CI 45 to 56%), with significant heterogeneity, which ranges from 19% in Albania to 85% in Ethiopia. Factors associated with higher odds of dropout were multiparity (AOR=1.30, 95% CI 1.26 to 1.34), grand multiparity (AOR=1.70, 95% CI 1.62 to 1.78), delayed first ANC (AOR=2.87, 95% CI 2.79 to 2.95), regions compared with the North Africa/West Asia/Europe region; SSA (AOR=2.65, 95% CI 2.34 to 3.00), Central Asia (AOR=1.78, 95% CI 1.40 to 2.26), South and Southeast Asia (AOR=2.43, 95% CI 2.14 to 2.75), Oceania (AOR=2.41, 95% CI 1.98 to 2.94), Latin America and the Caribbean (AOR=8.47, 95% CI 6.81 to 10.54), distance from health facility (AOR=1.15, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.18), getting permission (AOR=1.27, 95% CI 1.23 to 1.32), pregnancy intention (AOR=0.76, 95% CI 0.73 to 0.78) and rural residence (AOR=1.57, 95% CI 1.51 to 1.64), primary education (AOR=0.83, 95% CI 0.80 to 0.86), secondary education (AOR=0.60, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.62), higher education (AOR=0.43, 95% CI 0.41 to 0.46), middle wealth index (AOR=0.80, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.83), rich wealth index (AOR=0.65, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.68), media exposure (AOR=0.70, 95% CI 0.69 to 0.72), women aged between 20 and 34 (AOR=0.76, 95% CI 0.72 to 0.79) and age ≥35 years (AOR=0.60, 95% CI 0.56 to 0.63) were associated with lower odds of dropout.

Conclusions This study found a 50% dropout from CoC in LMICs with considerable heterogeneity. Factors identified as contributing to reducing dropout rates include improving women’s education, increasing media exposure, enhancing women’s decision-making power, ensuring better access to healthcare facilities, particularly in remote areas, and reducing adolescent pregnancies. To achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3 for maternal and child health by 2030, a coordinated, multi-level strategy is required.