Patterns of utilization of maternal health services and fertility intentions

Abstract

. The study is based on data drawn from Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) of 1998. This study attempts to identify some of the socio-economic, Demographic and community environmental factors that influences patterns of utilization of maternal Health services and fertility intentions.

The study made use of simple percentages to show the distribution of the respondent by the selected background variables and cross tabulations to show the association between the dependents variables and selected independent variables. Logistic regression analysis was used to show the linkage between fertility intentions, contraceptive use and utilization of maternal Health services.

The results of the analysis show that there is no uniform pattern of utilization of maternal health services, rather women exhibited switching behaviors. In the study, it was found that most women did not use maternal health services for both births. In most cases women used maternal health services for either births or none at all.

The study found out that there is a relationship between fertility intention and maternal health services utilization. Women who had received some kind of maternal health services such as tetanus toxoid injection were more likely to desire to have another child than those who did not receive Any form of maternal health services.

The results also show that various factors determine maternal health services utilization and fertility intentions. Factors that had significant influence on utilization of maternal health services and fertility intentions included maternal education partners education ever use of contraceptives, Children ever born, Region of residence, Type of place of residence and age. Women who had secondary and above level of education were likely to utilize maternal health services as compared to women who had no education or those who had primary education.

The study also found that the high parity women were less likely to utilize maternal health services as compared to the low parity women. Older women (35+) were less likely to use the maternal health services as compared to the younger women. Contraceptive use was a good determinant of maternal health services utilization. Women who reported using contraceptives were likely to use maternal health services.

The study found out that there is a linkage between fertility intentions and utilization in maternal health services, however this linkage could be working through other indirect means. Most important in the study is that there is a very strong linkage between contraceptive use and utilization of maternal health services and fertility intentions.

The study recommends that women be encouraged to use maternal health services for all the births and not just specific ones. That women be encouraged to deliver in health facilities since it has been established that over 60 percent of deliveries occur at home. The study also recommends that women be taught the importance of following the recommend dose of tetanus toxoid injections