FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH POSTNATAL CARE SERVICE UTILIZATION AMONG POSTNATAL MOTHERS ATTENDING MITOOMA HEALTH CENTRE IV. A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY.

Abstract

Background

The utilization of postpartum services is a major concern worldwide due to the great impact it has on infant and maternal mortality. The majority of perinatal deaths occur during the postpartum period. Postpartum services are those services offered to the mother and her baby during the first six weeks following delivery and it is a critical time for the mother and the baby. In Uganda, 74% of childbirths are attended by skilled health personnel, and 44% of postnatal mothers do not receive postnatal care (PNC) within 2 days after.

 Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted using a quantitative approach.  Three hundred eighty-four (384) nursing students participated in the study and were selected by simple random sampling method. Data was collected through research-administered questionnaires. Data were checked for completeness, cleaned, and entered in SPSS for further analysis. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics and a chi-square test to show the association between variables.

 Results

374 participants responded to the study yielding a response rate of 97.4%. There was a significant association between characters of age (p value= 0.003), religion (p value= 0.000), age of your partner (p value= 0.003), level of education (p value= 0.000), number of children (p value= 0.000), ANC attendance (p value= 0.000), times of ANC (p value= 0.000), place of delivery (p value= 0.000), mode of delivery (p value= 0.000), transport to hospital (p value= 0.015), paid for ANC (p value= 0.000) and amount paid for ANC (p value= 0.000) with PNC utilization.

 Conclusion

 Several factors influence mothers to seek postnatal care, especially the socioeconomic factors.

 Recommendations

Qualitative studies should be done to understand in-depth the significant factors affecting postnatal care utilization in this study area.