Antenatal Care and Safe Delivery among Social Groups in Madhya Pradesh

Abstract

Maternal and child health (MCH) programmes emphasized the need to give high priority to provision of adequate health services for mothers and children in order to reduce maternal and infant mortality. This paper attempted to study the utilization of antenatal care among social groups in Madhya Pradesh and the factors influencing it. The data for the present paper have been analyzed from District Level Household Survey–Reproductive and Child Health (DLHS-RCH) survey conducted during 2002-2004. The analysis has been done by using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. The analysis revealed that there are wide inter-district variations in the utilization of antenatal care services among social groups in Madhya Pradesh. The coverage of full antenatal care is a matter of concern in Madhya Pradesh. Only one third of deliveries are safe in Madhya Pradesh. The urban rural differentials still exist in utilization of antenatal care in Madhya Pradesh. The use of antenatal care and safe delivery significantly increases with education and standard of living in Madhya Pradesh. Special attention should be focussed on the women staying in rural areas, SC and ST women, women with low standard of living and 16 districts with low antenatal care and safe delivery as most of the women are not seeking services. From these findings, it can be concluded that with the improvement of socioeconomic status, use of health care will increase. This would entail a more widely dispersed development program, stressing wider improvements in conditions that influence utilization of antenatal care, such as education and the overall standard of living. It will help to narrow the differentials in utilization of health care services among social groups in Madhya Pradesh.

Keywords: Antenatal Care, Safe Delivery, Social Groups, Madhya Pradesh