Utilization and Factors Associated With Early Postnatal Care Services in Postpartum Mothers: A Cross-Sectional Study From Masafu General Hospital in Eastern Uganda

Background Worldwide, postnatal care (PNC) has been declared to be the hallmark of mother-child health care after delivery. This study aimed to assess the utilization of early postnatal care (EPNC) services and identify the factors influencing their use among postpartum mothers at Masafu General Hospital in Busia District, Eastern Uganda. Methodology A cross-sectional, hospital-based study in a rural setting in Eastern Uganda was conducted in January 2025. A questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 234 postpartum women. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to estimate factors associated with utilization of EPNC services, and variables with a p-value <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results While 64.5% of postpartum mothers utilized EPNC services within the first week post-delivery, only 30.5% received care consistent with WHO recommendations for EPNC. Results showed that being aged between 18 and 27 and/or above 37 years (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 10.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 5.1-21.7, p = 0.01 and AOR = 18.5, 95% CI = 1.2-27.7, p = 0.04, respectively), mode of delivery (AOR = 16.0, 95% CI = 6.4-39.7, p = 0.00), maternal level of knowledge on EPNC (AOR = 5.8, 95% CI = 2.4-14.2, p = 0.01), long waiting time before receiving PNC services (AOR = 13.4, 95% CI = 1.9-9.6, p = 0.01), walking for less than 5 km to the health unit (AOR = 0.03, 95% CI = 0.0-0.6, p = 0.02), attending antenatal care (ANC) clinic at least four times (AOR = 0.01, 95% CI = 0.0-0.4, p = 0.01), attaining at more than primary level of education (AOR = 0.02, 95% CI = 0.0-0.6, p = 0.02), receiving PNC information from health workers during ANC/childbirth (AOR = 0.002, 95% CI = 0.0-0.0, p < 0.001), and being advised at discharge to turn up PNC follow-up (AOR = 0.1, 95% CI = 0.0-0.8, p = 0.03) were associated with increased odds of using EPNC. Conclusions Only about one-third of postpartum mothers utilized EPNC services three times, as recommended by the WHO. Key factors influencing EPNC were highlighted.