Author(s)

Abdul-Karim Iddrisu^1*, Dominic Otoo¹, Bashiru Mahama²

¹Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyani, Ghana.
²Environmental Health and Sanitation, College of Nursing and Midwifery, Nalerigu, Ghana.

Ghanaian governments have made some social interventions in order to reduce risks associated with pregnancy and child delivery. However, most pregnant women do not seek maternal care. Previous studies have examined factors contributing to maternal care services utilization in Ghana using national data which limit such study applicability in some areas with specific background characteristics. These studies have mostly limited it to rural areas where the utilization is very low. This study seeks to bridge the gaps identified by exploring the factors which influence maternal care utilization in urban and rural communities in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. The Chi-Square test of association and the logistic regression models are used to analyze data obtained from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). The data analyses were carried out using R and STATA softwares. The results revealed that women with at least 5 children were less likely (OR = 0.374, 95% CI: 0.173 - 0.796) to utilize antenatal care compared to those who had less than five live births. Educated women are three times likely (95% CI: 1.929 - 5.257) to deliver at a health facility compared to uneducated women. Women from the rich wealth quintile were nearly 16.9 times more likely (95% CI: 4.816 - 107.124) to deliver in a health facility compared to those from the poor wealth quintile. On the other hand, residing in rural communities makes it less likely (OR = 0.569, 95% CI: 0.350 - 0.913) for women to receive postnatal care within 2 months of delivery compared to living in urban communities. This study has demonstrated that maternal educational level plays a crucial role in maternal health care service utilization in the region. Therefore, government policies and programs aimed at providing more educational opportunities for girls in the region should be reinforced.

Antenatal Care, Chi-Square, Institutional Delivery, Logistic Regression, Postnatal Care, Maternal Health

Iddrisu, A. , Otoo, D. and Mahama, B. (2019) Investigating the Determinants of Maternal Care Services Utilization in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. Open Journal of Statistics, 9, 309-326. doi: 10.4236/ojs.2019.93022.