Abstract:
To improve maternal health care services, it is very important to understand the main factors deterring
maternal health care services utilization in rural areas like Andabet. Maternal health care services could
save unnecessary severe complications and death among women during pregnancy, delivery and
postnatal care. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate the socio-economic and demographic
factors that affect women’s use of maternal health care services in Andabet Woreda of Amhara national
regional state by using logistic regression analysis for the primary cross sectional data collected through
a designed questionnaire
The analysis of the data confirmed that age of the mother, primary, secondary and more than secondary
education level of the mother, household head occupation, community insurance membership, residence
and the middle, rich and richest wealth quintiles had a significant relationship with the utilization of
antenatal care services. Women primary and above secondary education, the rich and richest wealth
quintiles and household head occupation strongly determine the maternal health care utilization of
delivery care. Again from the analysis it was found that age of the mother in the age category of 35-49,
birth order of more than 5 children, primary education, middle and rich wealth quintile , community
based health insurance and residence significantly determine postnatal care service. The interesting
finding in this study is local network membership did not have significant impact on the probability of
women obtaining antenatal care, institutional delivery service and postnatal care.
Based on the findings, to improve the utilization of maternity care services, it is suggested that
comprehensive efforts have to be made to create awareness about the benefits of utilization of maternal
health care service and investment in female education and enhancing women’s income in particular and
house hold income in general.