Levels and Trends in the Use of Maternal Health Services in Developing Countries

Abstract

This study aims to contribute to the understanding of use of key maternal health services in the past two decades in developing countries. Such services are potentially important determinants of maternal and child mortality and many other health outcomes of mothers and children. We analyze the current levels trends and correlations in use of antenatal care skilled birth attendance and postnatal care along with differentials in use of these services by women’s demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. The study uses Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from 1990 to 2009 in 38 countries in four regions: sub-Saharan Africa; North Africa / West Asia / Europe; South / Southeast Asia; and Latin America and the Caribbean. We use the woman as the unit of analysis and focus on the most recent live birth in the past five years or three years in surveys that asked only about births in three years prior to the interview. Based on the most recent DHS survey of each country we report the level of each service use as well as differences in use by individual and household characteristics. We also examine data from consecutive surveys in these countries to establish trends in use of antenatal care and skilled birth attendance. For postnatal care the analysis covers only the most recent surveys in 18 countries with information available for both institutional births and non-institutional births. (Excerpt)