| dc.description.abstract | Maternal mortality are limiting Africa‟s development. This study explored three main
indicators for maternal health status that is the antenatal care, skilled attendance at birth and
postnatal care. This study has been conducted with the main objective of determining the
factors influencing utilization of maternal health care services in Kenya. Hypotheses were
tested at 1%, 5% and 10% significance level upon estimating the probit models on antenatal
care, hospital delivery and postnatal care respectively. A national representative data (Kenya
demographic and household survey-KDHS, 2008) was used. From the study result, age of the
mother, secondary education, more than secondary education, birth order, richer wealth
quintile, richest wealth quintile and access to information were significant factors which
influence utilization of antenatal care. Hospital delivery was shown to be influenced
significantly by age, primary education, secondary education, more than secondary education,
birth order, residence, and all wealth indexes, access to information. On the other, primary
education levels and secondary education levels were shown to be statistically significant in
influencing postnatal care. Analysis across and within the models indicate that education
significantly determine utilization of the three models antenatal care, hospital delivery and
postnatal care whereby in all cases, it increases the usage. Similar to education, age of the
mother also influences usage of Antenatal care and hospital delivery positively and
significantly. Finally, the study found out that access to information positively and
significantly led to increase in utilization of antenatal care and hospital delivery while birth
order reduces the usage of both antenatal and hospital delivery. To improve the effectiveness
of the policy, the government needs to introduce more health care facilities to maintain
consumption of these services (Antenatal and hospital delivery). Since all levels of education
improved utilization of these services, there is need for the government to introduce more
institutions to increase knowledge and consequently knowledge on usage of these services.
There is also a need for family planning among mothers which encourages the respondents to
reduce the number of children born by a single mother in order to improve usage of hospital
delivery. Finally, messages through other modes of communicating are important as they are
shown to accelerate usage of health care services. | en_US |
