TITLE:
Investigating the Determinants of Maternal Care Services Utilization in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana
AUTHORS:
Abdul-Karim Iddrisu, Dominic Otoo, Bashiru Mahama
KEYWORDS:
Antenatal Care, Chi-Square, Institutional Delivery, Logistic Regression, Postnatal Care, Maternal Health
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Statistics,
Vol.9 No.3,
June
18,
2019
ABSTRACT: Ghanaian governments have made some social interventions in order to reduce
risks associated with pregnancy and child delivery. However, most pregnant
women do not seek maternal care. Previous studies have examined factors
contributing to maternal care services utilization in Ghana using national data
which limit such study applicability in some areas with specific background
characteristics. These studies have mostly limited it to rural areas where the
utilization is very low. This study seeks to bridge the gaps identified by
exploring the factors which influence maternal care utilization in urban and
rural communities in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. The Chi-Square test of
association and the logistic regression models are used to analyze data
obtained from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). The data
analyses were carried out using R and STATA softwares. The results revealed
that women with at least 5 children were less likely (OR = 0.374, 95% CI: 0.173
- 0.796) to utilize antenatal care compared to those who had less than five
live births. Educated women are three times likely (95% CI: 1.929 - 5.257) to
deliver at a health facility compared to uneducated women. Women from the rich
wealth quintile were nearly 16.9 times more likely (95% CI: 4.816 - 107.124) to
deliver in a health facility compared to those from the poor wealth quintile. On the
other hand, residing in rural communities makes it less likely (OR = 0.569, 95%
CI: 0.350 - 0.913) for women to receive postnatal care within 2 months of
delivery compared to living in urban communities. This study has demonstrated
that maternal educational level plays a crucial role in maternal health care
service utilization in the region. Therefore, government policies and programs
aimed at providing more educational opportunities for girls in the region should be reinforced.