Predictors and Utilization of Health Institution Services for Childbirth among Mothers in a Southern Nigerian City

To what extent is antenatal care in public health facilities associated with delivery in public health facilities? Findings from a cross-section of women who had facility deliveries in Nigeria

BACKGROUND

Facility delivery remains an important public health issue in Nigeria. Studies have confirmed that antenatal care may improve the uptake of facility delivery. However, information is rarely available in Nigeria on the extent to which antenatal care in public health facilities is associated with delivery in public health facilities. The objective of the study was thus to examine the extent of the association between antenatal care in public health facilities and delivery in public health facilities in Nigeria. The study was guided by the Andersen behavioral model of health services use.

METHODS

The cross-sectional design was adopted. Data were extracted from the most recent Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS). A sample of 9,015 women was analyzed. The outcome variable was the facility for delivery. The main explanatory variable was the antenatal care facility. The predisposing factors were maternal age, age at first birth, parity, exposure to mass media, and, religion. The enabling factors were household wealth, work status, partners' education, women's autonomy, health insurance, and, perception of distance to the health facility. The need factors were pregnancy wantedness, the number of antenatal care visits, and the timing of the first antenatal care. Statistical analyses were performed with the aid of Stata version 14. Two binary logistic regression models were fitted.

RESULTS

Findings showed that 69.6% of the women received antenatal care in public health facilities, while 91.6% of them subsequently utilized public health facilities for deliveries. The significant predisposing factors were age at first birth, parity, maternal education, and religion, while household wealth, work status, women's autonomy, and partners' education were the significant enabling factors. The timing of the first antenatal contact, pregnancy wantedness, and the number of antenatal care visits were the important need factors.

CONCLUSION

To a significant extent, antenatal care in public health facilities is associated with deliveries in public health facilities in Nigeria. It is imperative for governments in the country to take more steps to ensure the expanded availability of public health facilities in all parts of the country since their use for antenatal care is well-associated with their use for delivery care.

Disparities and barriers of health facility delivery following optimal and suboptimal pregnancy care in Nigeria: evidence of home births from cross-sectional surveys

BACKGROUND

Despite uptake of antenatal care (ANC), 70% of global burden of maternal and child mortality is prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Nigeria, due to persistent home delivery. Thus, this study investigated the disparity and barriers to health facility delivery and the predictors of home delivery following optimal and suboptimal uptake of ANC in Nigeria.

METHODOLOGY

A secondary analysis of 34882 data from 3 waves of cross-sectional surveys (2008-2018 NDHS). Home delivery is the outcome while explanatory variables were classified as socio-demographics, obstetrics, and autonomous factors. Descriptive statistics (bar chart) reported frequencies and percentages of categorical data, median (interquartile range) summarized the non-normal count data. Bivariate chi-square test assessed relationship at 10% cutoff point (p < 0.10) and median test examined differences in medians of the non-normal data in two groups. Multivariable logistic regression (Coeff plot) evaluated the likelihood and significance of the predictors at p < 0.05.

RESULTS

46.2% of women had home delivery after ANC. Only 5.8% of women with suboptimal ANC compared to the 48.0% with optimal ANC had facility delivery and the disparity was significant (p < 0.001). Older maternal age, SBA use, joint health decision making and ANC in a health facility are associated with facility delivery. About 75% of health facility barriers are due to high cost, long distance, poor service, and misconceptions. Women with any form of obstacle utilizing health facility are less likely to receive ANC in a health facility. Problem getting permission to seek for medical help (aOR = 1.84, 95%CI = 1.20-2.59) and religion (aOR = 1.43, 95%CI = 1.05-1.93) positively influence home delivery after suboptimal ANC while undesired pregnancy (aOR = 1.27, 95%CI = 1.01-1.60) positively influence home delivery after optimal ANC. Delayed initiation of ANC (aOR = 1.19, 95%CI = 1.02-1.39) is associated with home delivery after any ANC.

CONCLUSIONS

About half of women had home delivery after ANC. Hence disparity exist between suboptimal and optimal ANC attendees in institutional delivery. Religion, unwanted pregnancy, and women autonomy problem raise the likelihood of home delivery. Four-fifth of health facility barriers can be eradicated by optimizing maternity package with health education and improved quality service that expand focus ANC to capture women with limited access to health facility.

Target areas to reduce the burden of maternal death due to obstetric hemorrhage in Ethiopia

BACKGROUND

Obstetric hemorrhage is defined as active bleeding of more than 500 ml in vaginal delivery or 1000ml following cesarean delivery. It is the leading cause of maternal death, which contributes to up to 50% of maternal deaths in Ethiopia. This study aims to assess the relationships between adverse maternal health exposure (personal and medical factors) and delay in health care (hesitancy in opting to seek care, lag in reaching a health facility, and wait in receiving health care at the facility) and adverse outcomes of obstetric hemorrhage among reviewed maternal deaths in Ethiopia.

METHODS

This study utilizes 4530 reported maternal death surveillance data obtained from Ethiopian maternal death surveillance and response (MDSR) system between 2013 to 2020. Latent class analysis was applied to identify underlying patterns of adverse maternal health exposures. Furthermore, the associations between latent classes and adverse outcomes of obstetric hemorrhage were analyzed using multilevel logistics regression model adjusted for clustering within reporting provinces.

RESULTS

Nearly 56% of the reviewed maternal deaths were due to the adverse outcome of obstetric hemorrhage, among which nearly 75% died during the postpartum period. The study identified six separate sub-groups of women based on their vulnerability to adverse maternal health conditions. The six subgroups identified by this study are 1) women who travelled for a long duration to reach a health care provider, 2) those who had no access to a health facility (HF) within a 5Km radius, 3) those who failed to decide to go to a health facility: 4) those with multiparity,5) those who were injured during delivery with history of coagulopathy, and 6) those who got injured during delivery and failed to decide to go to a health facility. Women in the class of grand multipara have demonstrated the highest risk of death due to the adverse outcomes of obstetric hemorrhage (β = 1.54, SE = 0.09, p<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

The study has attempted to identify women that are at a higher risk for the adverse outcomes of obstetric hemorrhage. Henceforth, targeted intervention should be taken on women of reproductive age group, and those identified as at a higher risk, to reduce the high rate of maternal death due to obstetric hemorrhage.