Inequity in the utilization of antenatal and delivery care in Yangon region, Myanmar: a cross-sectional study

Inequity in uptake of maternal health care services in developing countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Maternal health service uptake remains an important predictor of maternal outcomes including maternal mortality. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize the available evidence on the uptake of maternal health care services in developing countries and to assess the impact of place of residence, education status, and wealth index on the uptake of these services.

Methods

We examined the databases MEDLINE, Web of Science, Global Index Medicus, and Scopus until June 14, 2022. Cross-sectional studies done between 2015 and 2022 were considered. Mothers of reproductive age and all states of health were included in the study. Independently, two authors determined the eligibility of studies, extracted data, evaluated the risk of bias, and ranked the evidence's degree of certainty. To combine the data, we performed a random-effects meta-analysis. The PROSPERO registration ID is CRD42022304094.

Results

We included 51 studies. Mothers living in urban areas were three times more likely to receive antenatal care (OR 2.95; 95% CI 2.23 to 3.89; 15 studies; 340,390 participants) than rural mothers. Compared with no education, those with primary education were twice as likely to utilize antenatal care (OR 2.36; 95% CI 1.80 to 3.09; 9 studies; 154,398 participants) and those with secondary and higher education were six and fourteen times more likely to utilize antenatal care, respectively. Mothers in the second wealth index were twice as likely as mothers in the lowest wealth index to utilize antenatal care (OR 1.62; 95% CI 1.36 to 1.91; 10 studies; 224,530 participants) and antenatal care utilization increased further among mothers in the higher wealth index. We observed similar relative inequalities in skilled delivery care and postnatal care utilization based on the pace of residence, education, and wealth index.

Conclusion

In developing countries, the problem of inequity in utilizing maternal health care services persists and needs considerable attention.

Socioeconomic inequalities in skilled attendance at birth and caesarean section rates in Myanmar 2015-2016: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to assess inequalities in skilled birth attendance and utilisation of caesarean section (CS) in Myanmar.

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional study design.

SETTING AND POPULATION

We used secondary data from the Myanmar Demographic and Health Survey (2015-2016). Our outcome measures of skilled birth attendance and utilisation of CS were taken from the most recent birth of interviewed women. Absolute and relative inequalities across several sociodemographic characteristics were assessed and evaluated by calculating rate differences, rate ratio and concentration indexes.

RESULTS

More than one-third (36%, 95% CI 32.5% to 39.4%) of women gave birth without a skilled birth attendant present at their most recent birth. 40.7% (95% CI 37.8% to 43.7%) gave birth in healthcare facilities, and the CS rate was 19.7% (95% CI 17.9% to 21.8%) for their most recent birth. The highest proportion of birth without a skilled provider was found in the hilly regions and rural residents, poorest and less educated women, and those with less than four antenatal care visits. Inequalities in birth without a skilled provider were observed across regions, place of residence, wealth quintile, education level and number of antenatal care taken. The highest rate of CS was found among plain regions and urban residents, richest women, more than secondary education, those with more than four antenatal care visits and in private health facilities. Inequalities in CS utilisation were observed across place of residence, wealth quintiles, education level, number of antenatal care taken and type of health facilities.

CONCLUSION

This study provides evidence regarding inequalities in maternal health service utilisation in Myanmar. Increasing maternal health service availability and accessibility, promoting quality of care and health education campaigns to increase maternal health services utilisation are recommended.

Comparison of inequality in utilization of maternal healthcare services between Bangladesh and Pakistan: evidence from the demographic health survey 2017-2018

BACKGROUND

Inequality in maternal health has remained a challenge in many low-income countries, like Bangladesh and Pakistan. The study examines within-country and between-country inequality in utilization of maternal healthcare services for Bangladesh and Pakistan.

METHODS

The study used the latest Demographic Health Surveys (DHS, 2017-2018) datasets of Bangladesh and Pakistan for women aged 15-49 years who had given at least one live birth in three years preceding the survey. Equity strata were identified from the literature and conformed by binary logistic regressions. For ordered equity strata with more than two categories, the relative concentration index (RCI), absolute concentration index (ACI) and the slope index of inequality (SII) were calculated to measure inequalities in the utilization of four maternal healthcare services. For two-categories equity strata, rate ratio (RR), and rate difference (RD) were calculated. Concentration curves and equiplots were constructed to visually demonstrate inequality in maternal healthcare services.

RESULTS

In Bangladesh, there was greater inequality in skilled birth attendance (SBA) based on wealth (RCI: 0.424, ACI: 0.423, and SII: 0.612), women's education (RCI: 0.380, ACI: 0.379 and SII: 0.591), husband's education (RCI: 0.375, ACI: 0.373 and SII: 0.554) and birth order (RCI: - 0.242, ACI: - 0.241, and SII: -0.393). According to RCI, ACI, and SII, there was inequality in Pakistan for at least four ANC visits by the skilled provider based on wealth (RCI: 0.516, ACI: 0.516 and SII: 0.738), women's education (RCI: 0.470, ACI: 0.470 and SII: 0.757), and husband's education (RCI: 0.380, ACI: 0.379 and SII: 0.572). For Bangladesh, the RR (1.422) and RD (0.201) imply more significant urban-rural inequality in SBA. In Pakistan, urban-rural inequality was greater for at least four ANC visits by the skilled provider (RR: 1.650 and RD 0.279).

CONCLUSION

Inequality in maternal healthcare is greater among the underprivileged group in Pakistan than in Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, the SBA is the most inequitable maternal healthcare, while for Pakistan it is at least four ANC visits by the skilled provider. Customized policies based on country context would be more effective in bridging the gap between the privileged and underprivileged groups.

Health awareness and skilled birth attendance: An assessment of sustainable development goal 3.1 in south and south-east Asia

BACKGROUND

The United Nation's Sustainable Development Goal 3.1 aims to reduce maternal mortality worldwide to 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030, which requires greater skilled birth attendant (SBA) coverage and increased health awareness. By evaluating relevant sociodemographic factors, this study aimed to identify different groups of women who lack health awareness and access to SBA services in eight selected low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) of South and South-East Asia (SSEA), namely, Afghanistan, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, and Timor-Leste.

METHODS

Nationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) on women aged 15-49 years were analysed with a pooled sample of 95,521. Complex survey-adjusted logistic regression models were fitted to assess sociodemographic factors, SBA coverage, and health awareness.

RESULTS

Women with higher health awareness were 44.4% (95% CI:1.32-1.58, p<0.001) more likely to access SBAs compared to the rest. Women and/or their partners with no or primary-level education, who were poorer, became young mothers (≤20 years), not involved in decision-making, or hardly exposed to media were less likely to seek SBAs and have higher health awareness. Women in rural areas with more children were also less likely to use SBAs. Timor-Leste, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Nepal underperformed on SBA coverage amongst the selected LMICs of the SSEA region.

CONCLUSION

Health education and mass-media-driven awareness could be an interventional avenue for LMICs to increase SBA coverage. Future studies comparing health policies within the SSEA region are required to identify reasons behind some nations' underperformance, while others are on track to achieve SDG 3.1.

Wealth and Education Inequities in Maternal and Child Health Services Utilization in Rural Ethiopia

As part of the 2030 maternal and child health targets, Ethiopia strives for universal and equitable use of health services. We aimed to examine the association between household wealth, maternal education, and the interplay between these in utilization of maternal and child health services. Data emanating from the evaluation of the Optimizing of Health Extension Program intervention. Women in the reproductive age of 15 to 49 years and children aged 12-23 months were included in the study. We used logistic regression with marginal effects to examine the association between household wealth, women's educational level, four or more antenatal care visits, skilled assistance at delivery, and full immunization of children. Further, we analyzed the interactions between household wealth and education on these outcomes. Household wealth was positively associated with skilled assistance at delivery and full child immunization. Women's education had a positive association only with skilled assistance at delivery. Educated women had skilled attendance at delivery, especially in the better-off households. Our results show the importance of poverty alleviation and girls' education for universal health coverage.

Coverage, inequity and predictors of hepatitis B birth vaccination in Myanmar from 2011-2016: results from a national survey

Background

Hepatitis B virus birth dose (HepB-BD) vaccination is recommended to reduce mother to infant transmission. We evaluated the HepB-BD status of women who gave birth between 2011 and 2016 (N = 3,583) using the 2015–2016 Myanmar Demographic and Health Survey.

Methods

Frequency distributions of HepB-BD vaccination across maternal and health system factors, concentration indices, and logistic regression models were used to estimate coverage, inequity, and factors associated with vaccination.

Results

The majority of participants were younger than 30 years of age, lived in rural areas, and were multiparous. Almost all received antenatal care (ANC), but only 43% received recommended ANC services, and 60% gave birth at home. The overall HepB-BD coverage rate was 26%. Vaccination coverage was higher in urban areas and was inequitably concentrated among children of more educated and wealthier women. HepB-BD coverage was also positively associated with receipt of ANC at non-governmental facilities, and delivery at a facility, skilled provider at birth and Cesarean delivery. After adjusting for sociodemographic and health system factors, receipt of the HepB-BD was positively associated with weekly media exposure, receipt of recommended ANC, and Cesarean delivery, and inversely associated with home delivery.

Conclusions

Both socioeconomic and health systems factors influenced suboptimal and inequitable vaccination coverage. Improved access to quality ANC and delivery services may increase HepB-BD coverage although targeted approaches to reach home births are likely required to achieve national goals.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-022-07902-w.

Predictors of wealth-related inequality in institutional delivery: a decomposition analysis using Nepal multiple Indicator cluster survey (MICS) 2019

BACKGROUND

Inequality in maternal healthcare use is a major concern for low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Maternal health indicators at the national level have markedly improved in the last couple of decades in Nepal. However, the progress is not uniform across different population sub-groups. This study aims to identify the determinants of institutional delivery, measure wealth-related inequality, and examine the key components that explain the inequality.

METHODS

Most recent nationally representative Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2019 was used to extract data about married women (15-49 years) with a live birth within two years preceding the survey. Logistic regression models were employed to assess the association of independent variables with the institutional delivery. The concentration curve (CC) and concentration index (CIX) were used to analyze the inequality in institutional delivery. Wealth index scores were used as a socio-economic variable to rank households. Decomposition was performed to identify the determinants that explain socio-economic inequality.

RESULTS

The socio-economic status of households to which women belong was a significant predictor of institutional delivery, along with age, parity, four or more ANC visits, education status of women, area of residence, sex of household head, religious belief, and province. The concentration curve was below the line of equality and the relative concentration index (CIX) was 0.097 (p < 0.001), meaning the institutional delivery was disproportionately higher among women from wealthy groups. The decomposition analysis showed the following variables as the most significant contributor to the inequality: wealth status of women (53.20%), education of women (17.02%), residence (8.64%) and ANC visit (6.84%).

CONCLUSIONS

To reduce the existing socio-economic inequality in institutional delivery, health policies and strategies should focus more on poorest and poor quintiles of the population. The strategies should also focus on raising the education level of women especially from the rural and relatively backward province (Province 2). Increasing antenatal care (ANC) coverage through outreach campaigns is likely to increase facility-based delivery and decrease inequality. Monitoring of healthcare indicators at different sub-population levels (for example wealth, residence, province) is key to ensure equitable improvement in health status and achieve universal health coverage (UHC).

Spatial Pattern and Associated Factors of ANC Visits in Ethiopia: Spatial and Multilevel Modeling of Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey Data

Background

Although there is an increase in having antenatal care (ANC), still many women lack recommended ANC contacts in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was aimed at determining spatial patterns and associated factors of not having ANC visits using the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) 2016 data.

Methods

A two-stage stratified cluster sampling technique was employed based on EDHS data from January 18 to June 27, 2016. A total of 7,462 women were included in the study. ArcGIS version 10.7 software was used to visualize the spatial distribution. The Bernoulli model was applied using Kilduff SaTScan version 9.6 software to identify significant purely spatial clusters for not having ANC visits in Ethiopia. A multivariable multilevel logistic regression model was used to identify individual- and community-level determinants of not having antenatal care. Model comparison was checked using the likelihood test and goodness of fit was assessed by the deviance test.

Results

The primary clusters' spatial window was located in Somalia, Oromia, Afar, Dire Dawa, and Harari regions with the log-likelihood ratio (LLR) of 133.02, at p < 0.001 level of significance. In this study, Islam religion (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.7 with 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.52,0.96)), mother education being primary (AOR = 0.59, 95% CI (0.49,0.71)), distance from health facility being a big problem (AOR = 0.76, CI (0.65,0.89)), second birth order (AOR = 1.35, CI (1.03, 1.76)), richer wealth index (AOR = 0.65, CI (0.51,0.82)), rural residence (AOR = 2.38, CI (1.54,3.66)), and high community media exposure (AOR = 0.68, CI (0.52,0.89)) were determinants of not having antenatal care in Ethiopia.

Conclusion

The spatial distribution of ANC in Ethiopia is non-random. A higher proportion of not having ANC is found in northeast Amhara, west Benishangul Gumuz, Somali, Afar, north, and northeast SNNPR. On the other hand, a low proportion of not having ANC was found in Tigray, Addis Ababa, and Dire Dawa. In Ethiopia, not having antenatal care is affected by both individual- and community-level factors. Prompt attention by the Federal Ministry of Health is compulsory to improve ANC especially in rural residents, uneducated women, poor households, and regions like Oromia, Gambella, and Somalia.

Wealth-based equity in maternal, neonatal, and child health services utilization: a cross-sectional study from Ethiopia

Background

Despite the pro-poor health policies in Ethiopia, the utilization of maternal, neonatal, and child health services remains a challenge for the country. Health equity became central in the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals globally and is a priority for Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to assess equity in utilization of a range of maternal and child health services by applying absolute and relative equity indices.

Methods

Data on maternal and child health utilization emanated from a baseline survey conducted for a large project ‘Optimizing the Health Extension Program from December 2016 to February 2017 in four regions of Ethiopia. The utilization of four or more antenatal care visits; skilled birth attendance; postnatal care within 2 days after childbirth; immunization with BCG, polio 3, pentavalent 3, measles and full immunization of children aged 12–23 months; and vitamin A supplementation for 6–23 months old children were stratified by wealth quintiles. The socioeconomic status of the household was assessed by household assets and measured by constructing a wealth index using principal component analysis. Equity was assessed by applying two absolute inequity indices (Wealth index [quintile 5- quintile 1] and slope index of inequality) and two relative inequity indices (Wealth index [quintile5: quintile1] and concentration index).

Results

The maternal health services utilization was low and inequitably distributed favoring the better-off women. About 44, 71, and 18% of women from the better-off households had four or more antenatal visits, utilized skilled birth attendance and postnatal care within two days compared to 20, 29, and 8% of women from the poorest households, respectively. Skilled birth attendance was the most inequitably distributed maternal health service. All basic immunizations: BCG, polio 3, pentavalent 3, measles, and full immunization in children aged 12–23 months and vitamin A supplementation were equitably distributed.

Conclusion

Utilization of maternal health services was low, inequitable, and skewed against women from the poorest households. In contrast, preventive child health services were equitably distributed. Efforts to increase utilization and reinforcement of pro-poor and pro-rural strategies for maternal, newborn and immunization services in Ethiopia should be strengthened.

Differential achievements in childhood immunization across geographical regions of Pakistan: analysis of wealth-related inequality

BACKGROUND

Childhood immunization is one of the most cost-effective interventions for child health. Still, many children are not able to receive completed immunization status. Wealth - related inequality in immunization is considered a major reason for equitable coverage of immunization in Pakistan. Therefore, we examine wealth-related inequality in completed childhood immunization and to assess achievement indices across geographical regions in Pakistan.

METHODS

The analysis was based on a nationally representative demographic and health survey (DHS) of Pakistan, conducted in 2012-13. We examined completed childhood (12-23 months) immunization in the various regions of the country and we used concentration, extended concentration and achievement indices to demonstrate inequality across geographical regions in Pakistan.

RESULTS

Inequality in completed childhood immunization was seen in Pakistan with concentration index (CI) of 0.181 (95% CI: 0.164-0.209). Regions with high average of complete immunization showed lower inequality except for Sindh. Despite having better average immunization coverage in Kyber Pakhtunkhwa, the relative change of 128% in concentration index (CI) from C2 (standard CI) to C5 (when poorer quantile received highest weights) shows this to be also the most inequitable regions. Four parameters of inequality aversion (v = 2, 3, 4 & 5) demonstrated that 'dis - achievement' in completed immunization is densely concentrated among the poorer regions. Balochistan, Sindh and Gilgit Baltistan exhibited broader inequality gaps (93.75%, 83.35%, and 54.93%, respectively) at higher aversion parameter.

CONCLUSIONS

As hypothesized, achievement index uncovers 'penalized' immunization coverage amongst the poorest population. Thus any policy that stringently focuses on improving average immunization rate without any strategy to deal with inequality will only improve immunization rate within wealthier groups. Based on these results, it is advisable to public health policy makers to use both aspect of information: average and degree of inequality in immunization coverage.