Determinants of Postanal Care Utilization in Gandaki Province

Abstract

Postnatal care is critical for maternal and neonatal health care and responsible for substantially minimizing mortality risks both for mothers and newborns alike, the current study was carried out to identify determinants influencing PNC use in Gandaki Province, Nepal, in terms of socio demographic and economic, factors. This analyzing data from as many as 180 respondents, a logistic regression model was used to evaluate the effect of factors contributing to PNC utilization (maternal age, education, birth order, caste/ethnicity, residence, religion, and wealth quintile). Education level and economic status were found to be the most significant predictors of PNC commitment. Women with higher levels of education were 26 times more likely to seek PNC services (OR = 26.37; p= 0.001), emphasizing the importance of health literacy and decision-making autonomy. The wealthier showed significantly greater PNC acceptance, whereby respondents in the richer quintile were nearly seven times more likely to receive such services (OR=6.93; p=0.027) against the poorest. Urban dwellers showed a higher frequency of PNC utilization rate (86.1%), whereas residence in the rurality did not contribute significantly to its access, thereby emphasizing the need to strengthen health care delivery. However, the deprivation experienced by the social minorities, especially Dalits and Janajatis, as regards their health care can be significantly concluded upon. Those young mothers (< 20 Years) and those who stand farther in the birth orders give less importance to PNC, which means a lack of awareness and priority regarding maternal health. The enhance the acceptance of PNC services, a few policy measures suggested by the study are increasing education efforts, providing economic aid to poor families, educational rural health arrangement, and running culturally inclusive health programs. When these determinants are addressed, maternal and neonatal health results will be expected to improve throughout Gandaki Province.