Pattern and predictors of maternal health services utilization in Jigawa State, North-Western Nigeria
Maternal mortality has remained a problem, especially in developing countries where women continue to die from pregnancy and childbirth-related complications. Maternal health is the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. It encompasses the healthcare dimensions of family planning, preconception, antenatal care (ANC), delivery, and postnatal care (PNC). The study aimed to assess the pattern and predictors of utilization of maternal health services in Jigawa State. A cross-sectional study was conducted using quantitative data collection methods. WHO “30 by 7” cluster sampling technique was used to select 630 mothers of children under five across different communities from three Local Government areas in Jigawa State. Data was collected with the aid of pretested interviewer-administered questionnaires. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25. Ethical approval was obtained from Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria. Most (93.3%) of the respondents have utilized maternal health services during their most recent pregnancies. Specifically, most (90.6%) of them attended at least one antenatal clinic visit but < 5% had the minimum recommended 8 ANC visits. About 56% of the respondents had a skilled birth attendant at their deliveries and only 31.2% of the respondents had PNC within 48 hours of delivery. Living within 5km of maternal health services was found to be a predictor of utilization (aOR=1.9; 95% CI:1.3 – 2.05; P=0.003). In conclusion, ANC coverage was found to be high although the number of visits was far below recommended. The institutional delivery rate and post-natal care coverage were found to be low. Distance was a predictor of maternal health services utilization. It is therefore recommended that; the Jigawa State Primary Health Care Agency should provide maternal health services in health facilities close to the communities; community leaders, religious leaders, and opinion leaders should be involved in health education efforts to encourage utilization of maternal health services; health care workers should educate the women on the need to sustain ANC visits, deliver in the hospitals and seek post-natal.
Keywords: Antenatal care, maternal, postnatal care, skilled attendant, utilization
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