Factors Influencing Women’s Choice for Place of Child Birth in Rural Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Pregnancy and childbirth complications are foremost cause of deaths and incapacity among women of the reproductive age in developing countries. In Ethiopia, nearly a third to a fourth of births occur without the help of a trained birth assistant.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of institutional delivery and the determinants for choice of place of delivery.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study design was employed from June to August 2018 and systematic sampling method used to select eligible respondents. From a total number of 5,398 pregnant women of whom 85% had visted ANC facilities, thestudy recruited 402 mothers aged 25-34 years. These mothers had given birth one year prior to data collection in the Wondo Genet District of Ethiopia. Data was cleansed, coded, entered into Epi Data 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Logistic regression was used to identify statistically significant variables for the choice of place for delivery.

Results: More than half 216 (53.7%) of the respondents were rural residents and more than onethird 147 (36.6%) were not able to read nor write. From every 10 women, 4 were housewives thus 249 (61.9%). More than 75% of them had access to the media (majorly television and radio) Factors that were statistically significant for the choice place of delivery were primary and above educational status of women, (AOR=0.14, CI, 0.03-0.68), income greater than 3000 ETB (AOR=8.35 CI, 3.6-19.4), four or more ANC frequency (AOR=4.14 CI, 2.0-8.6) and previous planned pregnancy (AOR=4.14 CI, 2.0- 8.6).

Conclusion: Prevalence of institutional delivery was 61.2%. This calls for the District Health Committee to work on myth and misconception  surrounding institutional delivery. Appropriate information, education, and communication will be a vital strategy in helping women to take the initiative of visiting health facilities. Educational status and monthly income were statistically important factors in disseminating health information to enhance knowledge of the women.

Keywords - institutional delivery, place of childbirth, home delivery, maternal health, Health facility.