Utilization of Maternal Health Services: An Experience from Squatter Settlement in Nepal

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 88-98
Author(s):  
Sharmila Ranabhat ◽  
Suman Baskota ◽  
Rama Thapa

Maternal health care services should be accessible to all women during pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum period. The majority of maternal deaths can be prevented if women utilize maternal health care services appropriately. This study aimed to assess the utilization of maternal health services and explore the barriers in accessing maternal health care services. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 48 mothers over the age of 18 with one or more children. The data was obtained by interview and focus group discussion using the structured questionnaires and checklists, which included socio-demographic characteristics, and utilization of antenatal care, delivery practice, and postnatal care services. Among 48 mothers, only 35.41% used complete antenatal care services, 66.66% received TT vaccine during pregnancy, 54.16% delivered their last child at the hospital, and only 27.08% received postnatal services as recommended by the World Health Organization. The antenatal care services and delivery services were utilized suboptimally, and postnatal care visits were significantly lower. Socio-economic factors such as family income and education of women correlated considerably with maternal health care utilization. Women with higher education levels and higher family income were more likely to go for frequent antenatal check-ups, have TT vaccinations, deliver in hospitals, and visit more postnatal check-ups than women with lower education levels and lower family income. The findings indicate that there are unmet needs of maternal health care access to women living in the squatters of Nepal. It is therefore important to implement targeted incentive programs and maternal health awareness campaigns to increase the utilization of maternal health services among women living in squatter settlements in Nepal. Key words: Antenatal, Delivery, Postnatal, Maternal health services, Squatter.

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nasim Ahamed Mondal ◽  
Balhasan Ali ◽  
Md Illias Kanchan Sk

BACKGROUND: It is a marked recognition that when the population is disaggregated by religion, wide disparities in the utilization of maternal health care services can be observed. The study was aimed to analyze the levels and trends of maternal health services among Muslims in India. The study also delineated the investigation of confounding factors attributed to maternal health services among the selected population.METHODS: The study utilized the data from the third and fourth round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS), conducted in 2005-06 and 2015-16 respectively. The bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were employed to accomplish the study objectives.RESULT: There is an increasing trend in the distributional patterns of all three indicators (full ANC, SBA and PNC) during the last two successive surveys. Muslim women belonging to Southern States were seen to be utilizing more maternal health care services as compared to Muslim women in the Northern States. Muslim populated States like Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal were far cry to achieve the MDG-15 target of utilization of 100 percent skilled birth attendants in 2015. Education, media exposure and wealth status appeared to be major confounding factors for determining the utilization of maternal health services.CONCLUSION: The study revealed that the utilizations of maternal health services among Muslims have progressed during the last decade. It can be concluded that the NHM policy has played an instrumental role in increasing the utilization of maternal health services among Muslims.


Author(s):  
Shinjini Ray ◽  
Pravat Bhandari ◽  
Jang Bahadur Prasad

Background: Maternal health was one of the most important millennium development goals (MDGs), India didn’t achieve by the year 2015. Since, India is a multicultural, social and multiregional country, where some of the regions have good social and demographic achievement while some are poor. Haryana is one of them, which has 146 maternal mortality ratio. The level of receiving antenatal care (ANC) in Haryana is quite low as compared to other states of India. Objective of present study was to Understand the extent of use of maternal health care services in Haryana as well as examining the role of antenatal care and other socio-economic factors on the utilization of maternal health services.Methods: Bivariate analysis, chi-square test, and binary logistic regression have been used based on district level household and facility survey-4 data.Results: The utilization of ANC (any and full), institutional delivery and post-delivery treatment seeking varies among women by literacy, age at first marriage, age at women and place of residence. Literate women are two times more likely to access ANC [odds ratio (OR)=1.97 (any ANC), 1.95 (full ANC), p<0.01] and 1.52 times more likely to prefer institutional delivery [OR=1.52, p<0.01].Conclusions: Empowering women through the encouragement of mother’s education should be one of the most fundamental strategies to promote maternal health care services and reduce inequalities.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunice Nyarambi ◽  
Paddington Tinashe Mundagowa ◽  
Prosper Chonzi ◽  
Elizabeth Chadambuka

Abstract Background: Provision of quality maternal health care services is an essential component in ensuring a healthy mother-baby dyad both pre- and post-delivery. In Africa, antenatal care, postnatal care, and skilled birth attendances are very low when compared to high-income countries. The continent has a high burden of maternal and infant morbidity as well as mortality rates. According to the Harare Annual Report of 2016, the number of women seeking maternal health care services was gradually declining from 2014 and pregnant women reported various challenges in accessing health care services. Methods: A 1 to 1 case-control study was conducted in Harare West South Western District using pretested interviewer-administered questionnaires. The study was carried out at all three clinics in the district and a total of 73 cases and 73 controls were selected using a systematic random sampling method. Quantitative data were analyzed using Epi Info statistical package and qualitative data was analyzed thematically. Results: The median ages for cases and controls were 29 and 24 years, respectively and the age-group 19 to 24 years constituted the majority of participants (41%). Predictors of utilization of services were young age ( < 24 years), birth order of < 2, maternal and paternal occupation, and religion. Enabling factors included: asking for permission to seek care, absence of transport challenges, a shorter distance to the health facility, affordability of health services, and a higher household income. Besides the shortage of skilled staff at the clinics, mothers endured long waiting hours to be served. The majority of the cases (78.1 %) and controls (72.6%) preferred to be attended by male nurses. Mothers were required to pay a $25 fee for booking and city medical staff rarely visited the clinics. Conclusion: The utilization of maternal health care services in Harare is dependent on the individual, household, and system-related factors. There was a need to articulate policies and design maternal health care programs that target socially and economically marginalized women. Creating women-friendly health facilities with extended hours for the antenatal care, delivery care and post-natal care services for mothers can help to decongest the health facilities.


Author(s):  
Neeta P. N. ◽  
Sameena A. R. B. ◽  
Suresh C. M. ◽  
Gangadhar Goud ◽  
Bharat . ◽  
...  

Background: Maternal mortality and morbidity remains high even though national programs exist for improving maternal and child health in India. This could be related to several factors, an important one being non-utilization or delay in seeking care of maternal health-care services, especially amongst the rural poor and urban slum population due to either lack of awareness or access to health-care services. Our study was aimed to know the utilization of maternal health care services during antenatal and post natal period and factors affecting them.Methods: A Community based cross sectional study was carried in the rural field practice areas of VIMS, Ballari (three primary health centres (PHC) Kudithini, Koluru, Kurugodu) among all married women in the age group of 15-45 years who were in the post natal period (less than 2 months) at time of interview. A total 152 women were included in the study by door to door survey, among all the 3 PHC’s. The women absent during the survey were excluded.Results: Only 101 (66.44%) of women utilized antenatal care and 18 (11.8%) utilized post natal care (at least three postnatal visits) from the health care facility. Mothers who were of Muslim religion, <20 years of age, higher education of participant as well as husband, higher occupation status, high SES, less parity had higher odds of utilizing antenatal care. Health education by the health worker regarding post natal services to women ranged from 62.5-90.8%. Mothers of Muslim religion, higher education, higher occupation status, normal vaginal delivery and home delivery had higher odds of utilizing postnatal servicesConclusions: The study shows unacceptably low utilization of postnatal care services. It shows the coverage of postnatal care services is inadequate. This is an important message to health service providers and policy makers to strengthening not only antenatal health services and institutional deliveries but also postnatal care services to reduce maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. 


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-199
Author(s):  
Shreemaya Shrestha ◽  
Dev Kumari Shrestha

Background: Appropriate utilization of maternal health care services is very important tool to reduce the maternal and child morbidity and mortality rate. This study was conducted to assess the utilization of maternal health care services by the women for their last pregnancy in one year period and to find out it’s association with selected variables.Methods: Descriptive cross sectional study was conducted for one year by using semi-structured questionnaire among 285 mothers residing at slums area of Dharan sub-metropolitan city after taking written consent from them. Ethical clearance was obtained from Institutional Review Committee, BPKIHS and Dharan Sub-metropolitan city office. Simple random sampling followed by snowball sampling method was used to collect the data by interview method.Results: Majority (95.1%) had one Antenatal visit, 60.4% had initiated antenatal visit at first trimester and 78.99% had completed 4 or more antenatal visits. Only 35.8% had taken complete dose of iron and calcium. Majority 262 (91.92%) respondents have taken Tetanus Toxoid immunization and among them only 74.42% had taken 2 dose of TT injection. Women who delivered in health facility accounted for 70.9% but only 28.8% went for postnatal visit. Majority (65.3%) received health advice during postnatal period. Nearly 40% respondents used family planning after post partum period .There was significant association between utilization of antenatal and delivery services with Educational status of respondents and their husbands and number of pregnancy and between utilization of postnatal services with occupation of husband.Conclusions: Utilization of maternal health care services, antenatal services utilization were satisfactory whereas postnatal services and family planning services utilization were very poor. Utilization of maternal health services should be encouraged by conducting public awareness programmes.Keywords: Maternal health services; utilization; women.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Panyin Craymah ◽  
Robert Kwame Oppong ◽  
Derek Anamaale Tuoyire

Background. Globally, male involvement in maternal health care services remains a challenge to effective maternal health care accessibility and utilization. Objective. This study assessed male involvement in maternal health care services and associated factors in Anomabo in the Central Region of Ghana. Methods. Random sampling procedures were employed in selecting 100 adult male respondents whose partners were pregnant or had given birth within twelve months preceding the study. Pearson Chi-Square and Fisher’s exact tests were conducted to assess the association of sociodemographic and enabling/disenabling factors with male involvement in maternal health care services. Results. Some 35%, 44%, and 20% of men accompanied their partners to antenatal care, delivery, and postnatal care services, respectively. Male involvement in antenatal care and delivery was influenced by sociodemographic (partner’s education, type of marriage, living arrangements, and number of children) and enabling/disenabling (distance to health facility, attitude of health workers, prohibitive cultural norms, unfavourable health policies, and gender roles) factors. Conclusion. The low male involvement in maternal health care services warrants interventions to improve the situation. Public health interventions should focus on designing messages to diffuse existing sociocultural perceptions and health care provider attitudes which influence male involvement in maternal health care services.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paddington Tinashe Mundagowa ◽  
Eunice Nyarambi ◽  
Elizabeth Chadambuka

Abstract Background: Provision of quality maternal health care services is an essential component in ensuring a healthy mother-baby dyad both pre- and post-delivery. In Africa, antenatal care, postnatal care, and skilled birth attendances are very low when compared to high-income countries. The continent has a high burden of maternal and infant morbidity as well as mortality rates. According to the Harare Annual Report of 2016, the number of women seeking maternal health care services was gradually declining from 2014 and pregnant women reported various challenges in accessing health care services. Methods: A 1 to 1 case-control study was conducted in Harare West South Western District using pretested interviewer-administered questionnaires. The study was carried out at all three clinics in the district and a total of 73 cases and 73 controls were selected using a systematic random sampling method. Quantitative data were analyzed using Epi Info statistical package and qualitative data was analyzed thematically. Results: The median ages for cases and controls were 29 and 24 years, respectively and the age-group 19 to 24 years constituted the majority of participants (41%). Predictors of utilization of services were young age ( < 24 years), birth order of < 2, maternal and paternal occupation, and religion. Enabling factors included: asking for permission to seek care, absence of transport challenges, a shorter distance to the health facility, affordability of health services, and a higher household income. Besides the shortage of skilled staff at the clinics, mothers endured long waiting hours to be served. The majority of the cases (78.1 %) and controls (72.6%) preferred to be attended by male nurses. Mothers were required to pay a $25 fee for booking and city medical staff rarely visited the clinics. Conclusion: The utilization of maternal health care services in Harare is dependent on the individual, household, and system-related factors. There was a need to articulate policies and design maternal health care programs that target socially and economically marginalized women. Creating women-friendly health facilities with extended hours for the antenatal care, delivery care and post-natal care services for mothers can help to decongest the health facilities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 470-481
Author(s):  
Sohini Paul

India launched the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in 2005 to improve maternal and child health by providing good quality health services to all, especially deprived sections of society, to reduce inequality in access to health services. With the backdrop of NRHM, we analysed the extent to which the utilisation of maternal health care services (MHCSs) in the three stages of the continuum of care—antenatal care (ANC), care during child delivery and postnatal care (PNC)—–has improved among the poor vis-à-vis the rich in India, and the corresponding narrowing down in inequality in the period 2006–2016. Data from the 3rd round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) in 2005–2006, capturing the pre-NRHM period and the 4th round of NFHS 2015–2016, capturing the post-NRHM era ten years after the implementation of the flagship programme, are used for the analysis. We estimated absolute as well as relative measures of inequality, absolute gap and coverage ratio between the poor and rich, slope index of inequality and concentration index. Our findings show that maternal health care coverage increased significantly among the poor for all components of MHCSs. Even so, the extent of utilisation of services remains significantly lower among the poor in 2015–2016 compared to the coverage among the rich in 2005–2006. Although inequality declined at the national level over the decade, it still persists. High equity has been achieved in using skilled birth attendance during child delivery and institutional delivery during 2015–2016, however, inequality continues to be higher for ANC indicators including consumption of iron and folic acid supplements for at least 100 days, receipt of four or more antenatal check-ups and comprehensive health check-ups at least once during antenatal visits and receipt of first check-up in the first trimester.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document