Factors influencing utilization of maternal waiting homes in Kenya: a case of Turkana West sub-county

Abstract

This study examined the factors influencing the utilization of maternal waiting homes in Kenya through a case study of Turkana West Sub County. The pregnancy related deaths are still a common thing in many parts of the world as access to skilled health care remains one of the challenges facing many developing countries. Maternal waiting homes concept was introduced by World Health Organization as a means of improving accessibility to skilled healthcare thus reducing morbidity and mortality for mothers and neonate should any complication arise as these are homes within the reach of established health facilities. There has been little attempt to find out how effectively these homes are utilized for their main purpose in Kenya. This study therefore sought to identify and determine factors influencing utilization of Maternal Waiting Homes in Turkana West Sub-County. The study was based on four identified factors being; building design of the homes, community involvement, and distance of maternal waiting homes from residential places of the users and upkeep cost while staying in the maternal waiting homes and it determined how each factor influences their utilization. The study adopted survey method where maternal waiting homes in Turkana West were surveyed. Simple random sampling was used to obtain respondents from a purposively selected population of local administrators, community health volunteers and health facility in charges in Turkana West Sub-County. The questionnaires and interview schedules were used to obtain primary data while secondary data was obtained from records and report found in these homes and other related materials. The data collected, was edited, coded, classified and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The study cautiously determined how each of the identified factors influences the utilization of maternal waiting homes. The study revealed that key stakeholders in the utilization of maternal waiting homes are the community and they must be fully involved to create awareness on them. The study evidently concluded that upkeep cost highly influence how maternal waiting homes are utilized and governments both at county and national level together with other stakeholders should devote sufficient upkeep resources to these homes to realize their full utilization. The study further recommended a cultural change to accommodate modern health system and accept interventions among the communities who uses the maternal waiting homes. The construction of these homes alone without consideration of the factors in this study may not achieve the desired results why these homes are established and the stakeholders must intervene based on the identified factors to put these maternal waiting homes to full utilization.