dc.contributor.author | Mwangi, Simon N | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2020-05-20T08:49:51Z | |
dc.date.available | 2020-05-20T08:49:51Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2019 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/109707 | |
dc.description.abstract | This study set out to examine the aspects that underlie access to maternal health services
among pregnant mothers in Nyeri County. Its specific objectives were to: To find out
the level of access to maternal health care services among expectant women; to examine
the influence of mother-related factors in accessingmaternal health care services among
expectant women; to establish the role of socio-economic factors in access to maternal
health care services; to investigate the influence of facility-based factors on access to
maternal health care services among expectant women in Nyeri County. The premise
employed in this research entails the health utilization proposition and the rational
choice view. This research used a cross-sectional survey design to arrive at the statistics
from a sample of 153 pregnant mothers as main respondents and 11 medical personnel
as key informants. Quantitative data were gathered using a questionnaire from the
targeted pregnant women while qualitative data was obtained through usage of key
informant guide on targeted medical personnel. Quantitative information analysed
using (SPSS) software. Descriptive statistics (means, frequencies, percentages) were
used while Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to calculate the correlation
between the study variables. Open-ended questions were analyzed for content. The
findings obtained were presented in tables and charts for ease of presentation and
interpretation. The findings obtained show that all the factors under investigation in this
study influenced access to maternal health care services among expectant women in
Nyeri County. In this regard, it was apparent that there was high access to these services
especially among women who lived closer to the facilities and who had high
socioeconomic statuses. Awareness of women about the services available also
contributed to the level of access with those who were more aware tending to seek more
services than those who had less knowledge. Religious and cultural factors also
interfered with their tendency of accessing maternal healthcare services. Facility-based
factors also influenced access to maternal health care services among expectant women.
The more facilities and equipment a health facility had, the more its services were
sought by women. The study recommends more equipment, physical infrastructure as
well as drugs be provided. There was also need to increase and diversify per capita
finance flows to the health sector as to ensure that maternal healthcare was available
for all. Civic education was thus recommended so as to encourage response to the
existent maternal healthcare services at grassroots levels. It was also important to
enhance acceptance of NHIF cards as well as those from other insurance schemes in
various hospitals. Accountability should also be strengthened so as to check wastage of
the resources committed to enhance access to free maternal healthcare. Lastly, there
was need to encourage medical personnel to have the right attitudes when providing
services to pregnant women. | en_US |
dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
dc.publisher | University of Nairobi | en_US |
dc.rights | Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States | * |
dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/ | * |
dc.subject | Maternal Health Services | en_US |
dc.title | Factors Determining Acccess to Maternal Health Services: a Case of Pregnant Women Visiting Karatina Level Five Hospital in Mathira Sub-county, Nyeri County | en_US |
dc.type | Thesis | en_US |