The Influence of Individual and Contextual Socioeconomic Status on Obstetric Care Utilization in the Democratic Republic of Congo: A Population‑based Study
Loading...
Date
2012
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
International Journal of Preventive Medicine
Abstract
Maternal health care utilization continues to focus
on the agenda of health care planners around the world, with high
attention being paid to the developing countries. The devastating
effect of maternal death at birth on the affected families is untold.
This study examines the utilization of obstetric care in the Democratic
Republic of Congo.
Methods: We have used the nationally representative data from the
2007. Democratic Republic of Congo Demographic and Health
Survey. Multilevel regression analysis has been applied to a nationally
representative sample of 6,695 women, clustered around 299
communities in the country.
Results: The results show that there are variations in the use of
antenatal care and delivery care. Individual‑level characteristics, such
as women’s occupation and household wealth status are shown to be
associated with the use of antenatal care. Uptake of facility‑based
delivery has been seen to be dependent on the household wealth
status, women’s education, and partner’s education. The effect of
the neighborhoods’ socioeconomic disadvantage on the use of
antenatal care and facility‑based delivery are the same. Women from
highly socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, compared
to their counterparts from less socioeconomically disadvantaged
neighborhoods, are less likely to utilize both the antenatal services
and healthcare facility for child delivery. The result of this study has
shown that both individual and contextual socioeconomic status play
an important role in obstetric care uptake.
Conclusion: Thus, intervention aimed at improving the utilization
of obstetrics care should target both the individual economic abilities
of the women and that of their environment when considering the
demand side.
Description
Keywords
Healthcare, Obstetrics, Socioeconomic, Utilization, Congo DRC
Citation
Aremu, O., Lawoko, S., & Dalal, K. (2012). The influence of individual and contextual socioeconomic status on obstetric care utilization in the democratic republic of Congo: A Population-based Study. International Journal of Preventive Medicine, 3(4), 278.