Determinants of Utilization of Skilled Delivery Care Services in Rural Kenya

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the factors associated with the utilization of skilled delivery care services among women in rural Kenya. The main objective of this study was to establish factors that influence the utilization of skilled delivery care services in rural Kenya. The specific objectives were: to establish the effects of socio-economic factors on utilization of skilled delivery care services in rural Kenya; to establish the effects of demographic factors on the utilization of skilled delivery care services in rural Kenya; to determine the effects of socio-cultural factors on utilization of skilled delivery care services in rural Kenya. The source of data for this study was the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2008/09 which was nationally representative sample survey. 4598 births occurred between 2004- 2008 in rural areas, among them 1456 were delivered by skilled provider and 3142 were not assisted by a skilled provider. Several studies have shown that maternal mortality can be avoided if the mother is assisted by a skilled provider at birth. Understanding the factors that influence utilization of skilled delivery care by rural women is significant given that maternal mortality is on the rise in Kenya. The dependent variable was whether the mother was assisted by a skilled provider during delivery or not and the response was" YES" or "NO". The independent variables were: Highest education level, occupation of mother, household wealth index, region of residence, exposure to mass media, maternal age, parity, marital status, religion and ANC visits. From the descriptive analysis, the results revealed that about 32 percent of births were assisted by a skilled provider. The descriptive results show that maternal education, region of residence, household wealth index, exposure to mass media, parity, marital status, religion and ANC visits were factors that significantly Influenced utilization of skilled delivery care services among rural women in Kenya. The results from logistic regression indicate that level of education, region of residence, household wealth index, parity, marital status, religion and ANC attendance were significant factors associated with the utilization of skilled delivery care services in rural Kenya.