Abstract
Modern Postnatal Care (PNC) Services in Nigeria is a vital tool for providing quality health for mothers and newborns. Nonetheless, many Nigeria regions are still struggling to achieve optimum utilisation of Postnatal Care Services due to variations in mothers' associated socio-economic factors based on their specific locations. This study aims at assessing regional socio-economic factors associated with Postnatal Care Services utilisation and its relationship with child morbidity in Nigeria. Data for this study was extracted from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2018 birth recoded file dataset, with a sample size of 30,713 women (aged 15-49). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-Square Test, and logistic regression reporting the result in odds-ratios (OR). The primary predictor variable was the region, while others included the type of Postnatal Care Services utilised and various demographic variables of the respondents – age, education, type of residence, religion, and ethnicity. The average age of the respondents was 29.5±6.8. The use of modern Postnatal Care Services ranged from South-West (20.3%), South-South (10.9%), South-East (23.0%), North-Central (22.0%), North-East (13.0%) to North-West (10.9%). The prevalence of child morbidity ranged from South-West (8.5%), South-South (9.8%), South-East (11.4%), North-Central (15.3%), North-East (26.3%) to North-West (28.7%). Child morbidity is significantly higher in the South-South (OR=1.46, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 1.316 – 1.611; p =0.01), South-East (OR=1.50), North-Central (OR=1.13), North-East (OR=2.31) and North-West (OR=1.35) compared to the South-West. The majority of women in Nigeria are not using modern PNC services. Regional variations in the use of PNC services and mothers' socio-demographic characteristics influence child morbidity in Nigeria. There should be region-specific sensitisation of women on the need for the benefit of modern health care for both antenatal care and postnatal care services.
Highlights
Due to the changes that are bound to occur during the period of postnatal care (0-6 months after birth) in the lives of mothers and their newborn babies, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has reiterated that the period is a critical phase in the lives of the mothers and the newborn babies.[1]
Following the critical nature of this period, the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS 2018) report has shown that the continuous provisions of health care services during pregnancy and childbirth including after delivery are important for the survival and well-being of both the mothers and their infants
Earlier studies have shown that there are variations in the use of Postnatal Care (PNC) services by regions[12] based on sociocultural differences and some factors affecting PNC service utilization in some facilities.4.11.15 This study found that PNC services utilization varied significantly by regions and socio-demographic characteristics with those in the North East and North West using more of the traditional facilities than the modern health care facilities for PNC services
Summary
Due to the changes that are bound to occur during the period of postnatal care (0-6 months after birth) in the lives of mothers and their newborn babies, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has reiterated that the period is a critical phase in the lives of the mothers and the newborn babies.[1] Following the critical nature of this period, the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS 2018) report has shown that the continuous provisions of health care services during pregnancy and childbirth including after delivery are important for the survival and well-being of both the mothers and their infants. This implies that the current mortality rate in sub-Saharan Africa is 13 times more than those in Europe and Northern America
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