Abstract
The decades-long global efforts to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality have shown overall progress, but most developing countries are still lagging significantly. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of non-institutional childbirths in the Gambella State and to identify socio-demographic factors responsible for non-institutional utilization of available birth services by reproductive-aged mothers. A community-based cross-sectional study design was adopted using a multi-stage random sampling technique. Binary logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with the selected place of birth. EpiData version 3.1 and SPSS version 13.0 were applied for data entry and analyses. All the 657 eligible mothers recruited for this study responded to the interview. 71% of the total respondents had non-institutional childbirths (NICB), and the rest had their most recent childbirth in an institution with skilled healthcare providers’ assistance. Socio-demographic factors were significantly associated with NICB. Nuer (AOR = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.23–3.63) and Majang ethnic (AOR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.02–3.83) groups had higher rates of NICB than the rest of the study population. The prevalence of non-institutional childbirths in Gambella remained two times higher than the institutional childbirths.
Highlights
This study explores the prevalence of non-institutional childbirths (NICB) in Gambella and figures out the socio-demographic variables related to the utilization of available birth services among reproductive-aged mothers
This study provided novel information on childbirth practices in the state, which can add some value for the public health managers and implementers to improve maternal and child health in the country and region
The most significant socio-demographic factors associated with childbirth service utilization were; occupation, marital status, and ethnicity
Summary
The decades-long global efforts to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality have shown overall progress, but most developing countries are still lagging significantly [1]. The total number of maternal deaths has reduced markedly (from 1990 to 2013; it declined by 45% at an average annual rate of 3.3%) [2]. While in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), mothers’ risk of dying from preventable complications of pregnancy and birth is still very high, i.e., 1 in every 22 live births [1]. In 2015, an estimated 239 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births occurred in developing countries, and 66% of these maternal deaths took place in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), while only 12 per 100,000 live births occurred in developed 4.0/).
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