Determinants of Safe Delivery Service Utilization Among Women of Childbearing Age in Egela Sub-Woreda, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

Abstract

Maternal mortality and morbidity in Ethiopia is among the highest in the world. Community based studies about factors affecting safe delivery service utilization are scanty only few studies done showed that professional assisted delivery is low in the country; particularly in Tigray region where the study was conducted. Community based cross-sectional survey was conducted in subworeda Egela, Tigray Central Zone, Northern Ethiopia on assessment of safe delivery service utilization and associated factors in mothers of childbearing age from March 05, 2011- July 05, 2011. The data was collected using interviewer administered questionnaire on a sample of 380 mothers residing in the Sub-woreda. The data were entered and analyzed using SPSS 16.0. Possible associations and statistical significance was measured using Odds ratio at 95% CI, and P-value of <0.05. Multivariate regression analysis was carried out to identify predictors of safe delivery services utilization. The study revealed that 25% of the urban and 6.3% of the rural women deliver at health institutions. The socio-demographic variables such as age during interview, residency, marital status, educational status of the women, levels of education attended, monthly income, family size, husband occupation, distance of health institution and obstetric factors found to have statistically significant association with institutional delivery. The monthly income and women higher educational level were independent predictors for safe delivery service utilization. In conclusion, this study revealed that the proportion of institutional delivery was unsatisfactory. The monthly income and mothers’ educational status were determinant factors. Therefore, empowering women, providing health education & establishing centers for emergency obstetric care in accessible areas are used to tackle the problem.