Utilization of antenatal care and delivery services in Kenya

Abstract

Kenya as a nation has put its efforts in improving maternal health more so reproductive health. There are free antenatal care services offered to all women though the same cannot be said of delivery care where women pay a small fee. According to KDHS, 2003 eighty six percent of the expectant women seek antenatal care at least once in the duration of their pregnancy, however only fifty four percent of these women deliver at a health facility. This is a major set back in the fulfillment of Millennium Development Goal number 5 of reducing maternal mortality ratio by three-quarters by 2015. The Kenya Demographic Health Survey, 2003 data was used to examine the utilization of antenatal care and delivery services in Kenya. The sample is made up of 8549 women aged 15-49 who are then subset to get those who had a birth 5 years prior to the survey and these are 3485 women from the Child file. There are socioeconomic, socio cultural and demographic factors. The method of data analysis is Bivariate regression analysis with frequencies and percentages to show the characteristics of the study population. The results from logistic regression models show that generally women who are highly educated, from urban residence, with low parity, in the high wealth bracket, currently married and over 35 years are likely to receive adequate antenatal care during their pregnancy. High educational attainment, urban residence, region of residence, ethnicity and mother's parity is significant in influencing a woman's decision to deliver in a health facility. This will provide policy makers and program administrators with a better understanding of reasons why more effort should be put in achieving better maternal care for women all over the nation. The findings can be used to modify existing service delivery approaches so that the women are encouraged to seek antenatal early in pregnancy and proceed to seek skilled delivery care uniformly in all regions of the nation.