Exploring the impact of mass media exposure internet use and health service accessibility on antenatal care utilization among women in Bangladesh using evidence from the BDHS 2022

Background In Bangladesh, where many pregnant women continue to get inadequate prenatal care (ANC), improving maternal health is a top public health goal. Even though ANC is known to help reduce problems for both mothers and newborns, utilization rates vary across the nation. This study looks into how Bangladeshi women's perceptions of the accessibility of health facilities, media exposure, and internet use affect their attendance at ANCs. Methods The study focusses on 5,005 ever-married women aged 15–49 who had at least one live birth in the three years before to the survey, using nationally representative data from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2022. The association between media exposure, internet use, healthcare accessibility, and the quantity of ANC visits was evaluated using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and multinomial logistic regression. In accordance with the World Health Organization's most recent recommendations, the outcome variable was divided into four groups: no ANC, 1–3 visits, 4–7 visits, and 8 or more visits. Findings: The findings show that women were far more likely to attend the recommended number of ANC visits if they routinely watched television, used social media, or used the internet. Notably, even after controlling for education, wealth, and urban/rural residency, internet use was a very powerful predictor: women who used the internet were almost four times more likely to complete eight or more ANC visits. The effect of perceived distance to medical facilities, on the other hand, decreased when other factors were taken into account, indicating that media and internet availability to information can lessen psychological or physical obstacles to ANC use. Conclusion The study comes to the conclusion that although structural factors like income and education continue to be important for maternal health, media exposure and digital access can be effective means of encouraging well-informed choices and enhancing the use of ANC. Enhancing health communication via digital and traditional media platforms, along with initiatives to lessen service disparities, could improve maternal health outcomes in Bangladesh.