Determinants of Choice of Place of Delivery among Women of Childbearing Age in Ido-Ekiti, Nigeria

Abstract

High burden of maternal deaths are recorded in low-income settings where women use a home or traditional birth attendant for delivery, often without professional medical assistance. The study identified the determinants of the choice of place of delivery among women of childbearing age in Ido-Ekiti, Ekiti state, Nigeria. It is an analytical cross-sectional study involving 435 women of childbearing age using a multistage sampling technique. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic information and other variables that can influence the choice of place of delivery. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25.0. The mean age of the respondents was 34.0 ±7.13years, 41.4% had tertiary education and 62.5% of the respondents delivered in the health facility. Approximately, 59%and 44.8% of women who delivered in places other than health facilities did so due to hospital bill and religious beliefs respectively. Level of education and antenatal clinic attendance were significantly associated with health facility delivery (p=0.001). Women in monogamous marriage were 3.7 times more likely to deliver in a health facility as compared to those in polygamous marriage (OR: 3.734[95% CI: 1.691-8.247]). Hospital delivery is increasing but the number of non-facility based delivery is still high. Cost of delivering at a health facility is a major factor that influenced the choice of place of delivery among women. Women should be further educated on the importance of giving birth in the hospital and the government should ensure that the National Health Insurance Scheme is all-inclusive.