Determinants of Ante-natal Care, Place of Delivery and Post-natal Care Services of Rural Women in Northern Nigeria
Okafoagu Christina Nneka *
Department of Community Medicine, Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria.
Ango Jessica Timane
Department of Community Medicine, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria.
Raji Ismail Adullateef
Department of Community Medicine, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aim: This study aimed to identify the determinants of Ante-natal care, place of delivery and post-natal care services of rural women in Northern Nigeria.
Study Design: It was a descriptive cross-sectional design
Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in selected rural areas of Sokoto State, Northern Nigeria during the periods January – February 2017.
Methodology: A multistage sampling technique was used to recruit 322 mothers for the study. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using IBM SPSS. The study examined attendance at Ante-natal care services, place of delivery and attendance of post-natal care as primary outcomes. Binary logistic regression using forced entry was used to compute the determinants of Ante-natal care services, place of delivery and post-natal services. The output of the regression analysis was presented as Odds Ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals. The level of significance was set at p ≤ 0.05.
Results: Majority 258 (80.1%) of the mothers attended ante-natal care but only 45 (14%) of the mothers delivered in the hospital while only 104 (32.3%) went for post-natal visit. Determinants of Ante-natal care services, place of delivery and post-natal care was found to be maternal education and socioeconomic status. Mothers with formal education were twice more to attend Ante-natal care services (p ≤ 0.05, OR = 2.11, 95% C.I = 0.99 – 4.450. Mothers with non-formal education were more likely to deliver at home (p = 0.01, OR = 0.29, 95% C.I = 0.14 – 0.59) while those in the upper class were more to attend post-natal care (p = 0.03, OR = 1.81, 95% C.I = 1.05 – 3.13).
Conclusion: The study demonstrates that maternal education and socioeconomic status influence Ante-natal care services, place of delivery and post-natal services. Therefore, there is need to encourage female-child education and women should be empowered to improve their socioeconomic status so that they can take charge of their health.
Keywords: Determinants, ante-natal care, place of delivery, post-natal services, Northern Nigeria