Abstract
BackgroundCoupled with the largest number of maternal deaths, adolescent pregnancy in India has received paramount importance due to early age at marriage and low contraceptive use. The factors associated with the utilization of maternal healthcare services among married adolescents in rural India are poorly discussed.Methodology/Principal FindingsUsing the data from third wave of National Family Health Survey (2005–06), available in public domain for the use by researchers, this paper examines the factors associated with the utilization of maternal healthcare services among married adolescent women (aged 15–19 years) in rural India. Three components of maternal healthcare service utilization were measured: full antenatal care, safe delivery, and postnatal care within 42 days of delivery for the women who gave births in the last five years preceding the survey. Considering the framework on causes of maternal mortality proposed by Thaddeus and Maine (1994), selected socioeconomic, demographic, and cultural factors influencing outcome events were included as the predictor variables. Bi-variate analyses including chi-square test to determine the difference in proportion, and logistic regression to understand the net effect of predictor variables on selected outcomes were applied. Findings indicate the significant differences in the use of selected maternal healthcare utilization by educational attainment, economic status and region of residence. Muslim women, and women belonged to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes are less likely to avail safe delivery services. Additionally, adolescent women from the southern region utilizing the highest maternal healthcare services than the other regions.ConclusionsThe present study documents several socioeconomic and cultural factors affecting the utilization of maternal healthcare services among rural adolescent women in India. The ongoing healthcare programs should start targeting household with married adolescent women belonging to poor and specific sub-groups of the population in rural areas to address the unmet need for maternal healthcare service utilization.
Highlights
Maternal healthcare remains a major challenge to the global public health system, especially in developing countries [1]
The present study documents several socioeconomic and cultural factors affecting the utilization of maternal healthcare services among rural adolescent women in India
In India, considerable attention has been paid to estimates of maternal mortality, but mere has been reserved to the issue of adolescents pregnancies requires paramount attention [2]
Summary
Maternal healthcare remains a major challenge to the global public health system, especially in developing countries [1]. Despite substantial improvement in maternal health indicators in India, the proportion of adolescent deaths (9%) due to pregnancy or during child birth to total maternal mortality is unacceptably high [3]. Coupled with the largest number of maternal deaths, adolescent pregnancy in India has received paramount importance due to early age at marriage and low contraceptive use. About one in five and three in five women whose husbands had high school education and above, had utilized full antenatal care services and had safe deliveries respectively. It was found that for women who had reported high autonomy, the utilization of safe delivery and postnatal care was 49% and 38% respectively. Safe delivery and postnatal care were 53% and 40% respectively among rural adolescent ever married women who had any exposure of mass media.
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