Exploring the influencing factors for non-utilisation of healthcare facilities during childbirth: a special mixed-method study of Bangladesh and 13 other low- and middle-income countries based on Demographic and Health Survey data

What is it about?

Objective: The study aims to identify the associated factors affecting the decision regarding institutional delivery for pregnant women of 14 LMICs.
Design: A special mixed method was used to combine cross-sectional studies for harmonizing the data of Bangladesh and 13 other countries to get extended viewpoints on the non-utilization of institutional health facilities during childbirth.
Setting: Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data for 14 LMICs was used for the study.
Participants: There are several kinds of datasets in DHS. Among them “Individual Women’s Records” (DIR) was utilized, as this study is based on all ever-married women.
Results: In the binary logistic model and meta-analysis model for Bangladesh, OR for birth order are 0.57 and 0.51 and OR for respondent’s age are 1.50 and 1.07 respectively. For all 14 LMICs, the most significant factors for not utilizing institutional facilities during childbirth were: respondent’s age (OR= 0.903, 95% CI: 0.790, 1.032) and birth order (OR= 0.371, 95% CI: 0.327, 0.421).
Conclusion: Birth order and respondent’s age are the two most significant factors for the non-utilization of health care facilities during childbirth in these 14 LMICs.
Keywords: Residence characteristics; health care surveys; maternal age; birth order; meta-analysis as topic; logistic models

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