Barriers to accessing and receiving antenatal care: Findings from interviews with Australian women experiencing disadvantage.

Aim: To identify the barriers associated with inadequate antenatal attendance by disadvantaged women in Australia and to further explore how these barriers are experienced by this population group.

Design: A qualitative descriptive study utilizing semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis.

Methods: Interviews were conducted with 11 pregnant women who self-identified as experiencing disadvantage, purposively sampled from a local government area of Victoria, Australia, characterized by socio-economic disadvantage.