 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Belay T Biratu and David P Lindstrom. Sociology, Brown University, Maxcy Hall, Box 1916, Providence, RI 02912, 401-863-3459, Belay_Biratu@brown.edu
Early prenatal care is commonly understood to have a beneficial impact on maternal health and pregnancy outcomes, particularly in places where the general health status of women is poor. Most discussions of reproductive health behavior focus more on service programs, technology, and individual women’s characteristics rather than marital relations. Using data for 1,750 women from a community based retrospective survey conducted in diverse urban and semi-urban settings in Ethiopia, we identify couple level variables regarding decision making processes that are related to the timing of prenatal care in health facilities. In the sample 31% of the women did not attend prenatal clinics. Among those who received the services, only 7% did so in the first trimester while 30% delayed prenatal service until the third trimester of pregnancy. Results from a complementary log-log hazard rate model indicate that couples marital experiences including pregnancy wantedness, attitudes toward prenatal care, and education significantly predict prenatal care utilization. The findings emphasize the importance of couples characteristics for women’s behavioral decisions. Policies aimed at reducing unwanted births have the potential to significantly increase the average use of prenatal care. Further study on family life and the primary causes of negative attitude toward reproductive health services both from the male and female perspective are suggested.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Health Care Utilization, Gender
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.