RESUMO
Background: Non-compliance with at least four standard antenatal care (ANC) visits is a critical public health problem. In Rwanda; the proportion of pregnant women who follow the four ANC remains relatively low (43.9%) although it has relatively increased.Objectives: To assess the level of knowledge of selected pregnant women on the importance of using the ANC service; to determine the proportion of pregnant women attending the four ANC and to identify factors limiting the women to the four standards ANC compliance.Design: A descriptive; cross-sectional; quantitative study.Setting: Nyaruguru District.Subject: All women on term and those with child aged one year. They were randomly selected from each village until the sample size of the study (n = 367) was attained.Results: About 13.4% of pregnant women made at least four ANC visits. The low ANC attendance was significantly associated with the long walking distance from home to the health centre (p=0.05); insufficient knowledge on the importance of the use of the ANC service (p=0.01). Conclusion: There is a need to strengthen education and awareness on the importance of ANC in that community in order to reduce maternal and infant mortality in Nyaruguru District