| dc.description.abstract | Utilization of maternal health care services could save unnecessary severe complications and death among women during pregnancy, delivery and after delivery. Numerous factors such as characteristics of the women and their family, characteristics of illness as well as characteristics of the health care system, including accessibility, acceptability, cost and quality of care, are contributed directly with the use of maternal health care.
The purpose of this study was to establish the utilization of maternal health care amongst women (currently married women, aged 15-49 years)- the level of maternal health care and to investigate the social, economic and demographic factors that affect women's use of maternal health care in Garba tulla division. The data used for the study obtained from a survey done in the study area. Stratified sampling was utilized to sample 90 respondents from Garba tull town, Eskot and Duse areas of Garba tulIa division. Simple random sampling was used to get respondents from every sub-site to ensure representativeness of the sample.
In order to assess the relationship of social, economic and demographic factors on maternal health care utilization, this study used bivariate analysis. Focus group discussion and in-depth interviews were used to come up with qualitative data on the role of TBAs in maternal health care delivery, the attitude of the women and the health workers on TBA's maternal health care services and maternal health problems in the area. Bivariate analysis of the data confirmed that maternal age, birth order and education status of both the women and their husbands had significant relationship with the utilization of antenatal care and modem delivery care.
The women's and husband's education showed a strong relationship with maternal health care utilization, indicating higher use of quality care for pregnancy and delivery by high educated women and by wives of high educated men. The economic factors i.e. women's occupation status, their husband's occupation status and income level of the households did not have an influence in the maternal health care utilization. The bivariate analysis showed that all social and demographic variables are significantly associated with all forms of maternal health care, namely use of antenatal care and place of delivery.
The economic factors i.e. occupation of the women, their husband's education and income level of the households were found not to be significantly associated with maternal health care use- possibly due to the reliance of the respondents on the only available health facility which offers maternal health care, which is a public facility (the maternal health care cost low)
The study conclusively shows that maternal health care utilization is low, and puts forth interventions and policy recommendations to tum around the situation. The recommendations of the study, includes amongst others; maternal health awareness to be created especially for the older women, who had lowest maternal health care utilization. Education status was found to have significant influence on maternal health care use, hence education attainment to be encouraged especially amongst the women. Since, there are no comprehensive studies done on the maternal health care utilization, the study recommends further research and studies to be undertaken in the area on the same | en_US |
