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The socio‐economic determinants of maternal health care utilization in Ghana

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  • Patience Aseweh Abor
  • Gordon Abekah‐Nkrumah
  • Kojo Sakyi
  • Charles K.D. Adjasi
  • Joshua Abor

Abstract

Purpose - The study aims to examine the socio‐economic determinants of maternal health services utilization in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach - Probit and ordered probit models are employed in this study. Findings - The results generally indicate that most women in Ghana undertake the required visits for antenatal services and also take both doses of the tetanus toxoid vaccine as required by World Health Organization. However, the results show low levels of usage in terms of the other maternal health care services (i.e. prenatal care, delivery at a health facility, and postnatal care). There is clearly an urgent need to develop innovative strategies that will help upscale intervention especially for improvement in the use of these services by women in Ghana. The regression results reveal that utilization of maternal health services and intensity of use of antenatal services are influenced by age of mother, type of birth, education of mother, ethnicity, economic status, geographic location, residence, and religious affiliation. Obviously, this suggests that more than medical factors are responsible for the differences in the use of maternal health services by women in Ghana as well as the decision on the number of visits to undertake with respect to antenatal visits. Originality/value - The findings of this study have important implications for health policy formulation targeted at improving maternal health care service utilization.

Suggested Citation

  • Patience Aseweh Abor & Gordon Abekah‐Nkrumah & Kojo Sakyi & Charles K.D. Adjasi & Joshua Abor, 2011. "The socio‐economic determinants of maternal health care utilization in Ghana," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 38(7), pages 628-648, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:eme:ijsepp:v:38:y:2011:i:7:p:628-648
    DOI: 10.1108/03068291111139258
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Onuekwusi, G. C. & Odoemelam, L. E., 2019. "Determinants of Maternal Health Care Services Utilisation Among Rural Women in Abia State," Nigerian Journal of Rural Sociology, Rural Sociological Association of Nigeria, vol. 19(2), June.
    2. Sheabo Dessalegn, S., 2017. "Social capital and maternal health care use in rural Ethiopia," Other publications TiSEM bb0ec225-4ec3-4028-90d6-1, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    3. John Kuumuori Ganle & Raymond Fitzpatrick & Easmon Otupiri & Michael Parker, 2016. "Addressing health system barriers to access to and use of skilled delivery services: perspectives from Ghana," International Journal of Health Planning and Management, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(4), pages 235-253, October.
    4. Monica Lambon-Quayefio & Nkechi Owoo, 2014. "Examining the Influence of Antenatal Care Visits and Skilled Delivery on Neonatal Deaths in Ghana," Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, Springer, vol. 12(5), pages 511-522, October.
    5. Bansal, Prateek & Daziano, Ricardo A. & Sunder, Naveen, 2019. "Arriving at a decision: A semi-parametric approach to institutional birth choice in India," Journal of choice modelling, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 86-103.
    6. Jin-Won Noh & Young-mi Kim & Lena J Lee & Nabeel Akram & Farhana Shahid & Young Dae Kwon & Jelle Stekelenburg, 2019. "Factors associated with the use of antenatal care in Sindh province, Pakistan: A population-based study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(4), pages 1-11, April.
    7. Ganle, John Kuumuori & Dery, Isaac & Manu, Abubakar A. & Obeng, Bernard, 2016. "‘If I go with him, I can't talk with other women’: Understanding women's resistance to, and acceptance of, men's involvement in maternal and child healthcare in northern Ghana," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 195-204.
    8. Bove, Riley M. & Vala-Haynes, Emily & Valeggia, Claudia R., 2012. "Women's health in urban Mali: Social predictors and health itineraries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(8), pages 1392-1399.
    9. Nkechi Owoo & Monica Lambon-Quayefio, 2013. "National health insurance, social influence and antenatal care use in Ghana," Health Economics Review, Springer, vol. 3(1), pages 1-12, December.

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