Contextual influences on the use of health facilities for childbirth in Africa

R. Stephenson, A. Baschieri, S. Clements, M. Hennink and N. Madise

American Journal of Public Health, 2006, vol. 96, issue 1, 84-93

Abstract: Objectives. Previous studies of maternal health-seeking behavior focused on individual- and household-level factors. We examined community-level influences on the decision to deliver a child in a health facility across 6 African countries. Methods. Demographic and Health Survey data were linked with contextual data, and multilevel models were fitted to identify the determinants of childbirth in a health facility in the 6 countries. Results. We found strong community-level influences on a woman's decision to deliver her child in a health facility. Several pathways of influence between the community and individual were identified. Conclusions. Community economic development, the climate of female autonomy, service provision, and fertility preferences all exert an influence on a woman's decision to seek care during labor, but significant community variation remains unexplained.

Date: 2006
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (26)

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.2105/AJPH.2004.057422

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2004.057422_6

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2004.057422

Access Statistics for this article

American Journal of Public Health is currently edited by Alfredo Morabia

More articles in American Journal of Public Health from American Public Health Association
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Christopher F Baum ().