Choice Of Place Of Birth In The Era Of The Maternity Subsidy In Kenya

Abstract

Adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes disproportionately afflict low and middle-income countries, which experience high-unmet need for safe and skilled attendance at birth. This study sought to investigate how choices for place of birth are made in Kenya during the era of the national maternal subsidy. The study employed data from the Kenya Demographic Health Survey 2014 and involved data from women who experienced a birth around the era of the maternity subsidy. When probit regression models were estimated, maternal age, the woman’s and partner’s education, paid employment, higher household economic status, reduced parity, low county poverty headcount rate, access to medical insurance, access to complementary reproductive services and the period during the maternity subsidy were associated with increased likelihood to choose deliveries in public and private health facilities. These findings imply that investments, which prevent early pregnancies, reduce domestic and national poverty, increase education attainment, expand autonomy of women and promote access of the continuum of reproductive health services can optimize choice making in favor of institutional births during the era of the maternity subsidy.