The Utilization of Skilled Delivery Attendance From Maternal Shelters in Samburu County, North Rift Valley, Kenya

Abstract

A report by the Kenya’s Ministry of Health (2016) shows that Samburu County is one of the counties in Kenya with a high burden of poor maternal and child health outcomes, low coverage rates and large underserved populations. The quality of health care services in Samburu County was rated good but attendance on antenatal and post-natal clinics was too low. Most of the empirical evidence and arguments across the world suggest that maternal shelters save mothers and children’s lives. However, little quantitative research has been conducted to assess the utilization of skilled delivery attendance from maternal shelters specifically in Kenya. This research sought to address this gap in knowledge. The study focused on the effect of the utilization of skilled delivery attendance from maternal shelters in Samburu County, North Rift Valley Kenya. The objectives of the study were to assess the level of community awareness of maternal shelter interventions in Samburu County: to determine the effectiveness of maternal shelter services in improving access to skilled delivery attendance in Samburu County and to establish the key factors influencing the utilization of maternal shelters among women in Samburu County. The methodology used in the study was a descriptive design; simple random sampling was used to identify the study respondents. The study found that 52% of the respondents were aware of maternal shelters, more than half of them reported that the services at the maternal shelters were effective and a majority 43% reported that it enhanced utilization of skilled birth attendance. The study concluded that maternal shelter awareness and effective services at the shelters enhanced utilization of skilled delivery attendance from maternal shelters. The study recommends that there is need to adopt a multi- sectorial approach to holistically address the factors that negatively influence maternal shelter utilization.