Utilization Of Antenatal, Intranatal and Postnatal Health Care Services By Mothers In Rural Field Practice Area Of JNMC, Belgaum- A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Background and objectives Maternal mortality and morbidity continue to be high despite the existence of national programme for improving maternal and child health. One of its main focus is on maternal health which includes antenatal, intranatal and postnatal care. It is vital to document the utilization pattern of these services in the community. Such information will indirectly help in gauging the progress and impact of the programme. Therefore, the study was carried out with the objectives to determine the extent of utilization of antenatal, intranatal and postnatal health care services by mothers in the rural area, and to know the factors influencing the utilization of antenatal, intranatal and postnatal services. Methods Study area: Handignur primary health center, rural field practice area of J N Medical College Belgaum. Study participants: A total of 497 mothers who delivered during June 2007 to May 2008 Study design: Cross sectional study Statistical analysis: Proportions and Chi-square test Results Antenatal registration was 100%. 62.6% of the mothers utilized full antenatal care (≥ 3 antenatal visits, at least one dose of tetanus toxoid injection and ≥ 100 IFA tablets). Skilled health personnel conducted 93.8% of deliveries and 85.3% of mothers had institutional deliveries. Only 2.4% of mothers had three postnatal visits within two months of delivery. The socio- demographic factors like literacy status, occupation, type IX of family, socioeconomic status and parity were found to influence the pattern of utilization. Interpretations and conclusion The situation in the present study does not appear to be very dismal but there is a lot of scope for improving the utilization of services by promoting female literacy and Information Education Communication (IEC) activities to educate mothers