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Current status and determinants of maternal healthcare utilization in Afghanistan: Analysis from Afghanistan Demographic and Health Survey 2015

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  • Sarwat Mumtaz
  • Jinwook Bahk
  • Young-Ho Khang

Abstract

Background: Advancing maternal health is central to global health policy-making; therefore, considerable efforts have been made to improve maternal health. Still, in many developing countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, including Afghanistan, the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) remains high. The objective of this study was to examine the determinants and current status of the utilization of maternal healthcare in Afghanistan. Methods: This study used the most recent data from the Afghanistan Demographic and Health Survey 2015. The unit of analysis for this study was women who had a live birth in the five years preceding the survey. The outcome variables were four or more antenatal care (ANC) visits, delivery assistance by a skilled birth attendant (SBA), and delivery by cesarean section (CS). The explanatory variables were basic sociodemographic characteristics of the mothers. We examined the sociodemographic characteristics of women utilizing ANC, SBA, and CS using descriptive statistics and estimated usage of ANC, SBA and CS after adjusting for maternal age and parity groups via direct standardization. Multivariable logistic regression models were employed to investigate the determinants of maternal healthcare variables. Results: Overall, 17.8% of women attended four or more ANC visits, 53.6% utilized an SBA, and 3.4% of women gave birth through CS. Women’s education, wealth status, urbanity, autonomy, and availability of their own transport were found to be the major determinants of service utilization. Conclusions: This study underscores low utilization of maternal healthcare services with wide disparities in Afghanistan and highlighted the need for an adequate health strategy and policy implementation to improve maternal healthcare uptake.

Suggested Citation

  • Sarwat Mumtaz & Jinwook Bahk & Young-Ho Khang, 2019. "Current status and determinants of maternal healthcare utilization in Afghanistan: Analysis from Afghanistan Demographic and Health Survey 2015," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(6), pages 1-14, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0217827
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217827
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Weitzman, Abigail, 2017. "The effects of women's education on maternal health: Evidence from Peru," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 180(C), pages 1-9.
    2. Leone, Tiziana, 2014. "Demand and supply factors affecting the rising overmedicalization of birth in India," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 58646, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    3. World Health Organization & UNICEF & UNFPA & World Bank Group & United Nations, 2015. "Trends in Maternal Mortality," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 23550.
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    1. Muhammad Farhan Asif & Salima Meherali & Ghulam Abid & Muhammad Safdar Khan & Zohra S. Lassi, 2022. "Predictors of Child’s Health in Pakistan and the Moderating Role of Birth Spacing," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-11, February.
    2. Agung Dwi Laksono & Rukmini Rukmini & Ratna Dwi Wulandari, 2020. "Regional disparities in antenatal care utilization in Indonesia," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(2), pages 1-13, February.
    3. Qahraman Kakar, 2023. "How does Religious Rule affect the strength of women’s empowerment? A micro-level empirical analysis for Afghanistan," Erudite Working Paper 2023-08, Erudite.
    4. Muhammad Qahraman Kakar, 2021. "Ethnic Disparities, Women Education and Empowerment in South Asia," Erudite Ph.D Dissertations, Erudite, number ph21-01 edited by Manon Domingues Dos Santos.
    5. Debayan Pakrashi & Surya Nath Maiti & Sarani Saha, 2022. "Caste, Awareness and Inequality in Access to Maternal and Child Health Programs: Evidence From India," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 163(3), pages 1301-1321, October.
    6. Felix Akpojene Ogbo & Felicity F. Trinh & Kedir Y. Ahmed & Praween Senanayake & Abdon G. Rwabilimbo & Noel E. Uwaibi & Kingsley E. Agho & Global Maternal and Child Health Research Collaboration (GloMA, 2020. "Prevalence, Trends, and Drivers of the Utilization of Unskilled Birth Attendants during Democratic Governance in Nigeria from 1999 to 2018," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-26, January.

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