Community Healthcare Worker’s Social Demographic Factors and Roles Influencing Uptake of Maternal Health Services in Musanze District, Northern Province, Rwanda

Abstract

Background: Community health workers integrate individuals of their communities to provide preventive, habitual, and emergency maternity healthcare requirements. The aim of this study was to assess Community Health Workers social demographic factors and roles influencing uptake of Maternal Health services in Musanze District, Northern Province, Rwanda.
 Methods: The study design used was analytical cross-sectional study design utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods. In this study, a simple random sample approach was employed to choose 208 CHWs and 16 CHW’s supervisors were interviewed for qualitative data (KII). The statistical tool for social sciences (SPSS) Version 26, was utilized to examine the data. Bivariate analysis with Chi-square test of independence was used to check the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. Ordinal logistic regression was used as the most suitable inferential statistic because the predictor variables and the dependent were ordinal variables. Qualitative data were analyzed by INVIVO version 10. Community health workers 208 participated in the study and all were female.
 Results: This study found that the uptake of maternal health services was regarded as very high. Among those services, deliveries at the Health Facility were at 73.6%, Antenatal care at 65.9%, Family planning at 54.3%, and the rate of Postnatal care was at 45.7%.This study assessed the influence of social demographic factors on uptake of maternal health services, level of education with p* <.001, and working experience p* = .005 were associated with uptake of maternal health services. The study recommends improvement of maternal health services through family planning, health care during pregnancy, post-partum care, with particularly scaling up key motherly health services, regular training and supervision for CHWs. This will help to achieve third goal of SDG 2030 as Good Health and well-being for all People and end up reducing mortality rates in the community unit. The findings of the study will be helpful to Ministry of Health (at District and national level) in taking strategic steps towards reducing mortality rates in the unit and country at large.