Determinants of postnatal care coverage among mothers and new‐borns in India: Evidence from a nationally representative survey

Abstract

Despite efforts taken by the Government of India, still mothers and new‐borns are excluded from the postnatal care services, especially during the critical first 24 h after delivery. Hence, we have done this study to find the determinants of postnatal care for mothers and new‐borns in India. We have analysed the NFHS‐4 data gathered from Demographic Health Survey programme. Stratification and clustering in the sample design was accounted using svyset command. Point estimates were reported as proportions with 95% Confidence Interval (CI). In total, 190,797 women who had at least one live birth were included. About 25.2% and 27.1% of the new‐born received post‐natal care within 24 and 48 h of delivery. The proportion of women who received post‐natal care within 24 and 48 h after delivery was 63.4% and 65.2% respectively. Higher socioeconomic status, women living in Southern region, utilization of proper antenatal and intranatal care, and Caesarian mode of delivery had significantly higher postnatal care coverage among mothers and new‐borns. This finding informs the policy makers regarding the status of postnatal care coverage, that can be incorporated to identify target populations for further strengthening of service delivery.

Factors Associated with Post-Natal Care Utilization among the Women of Reproductive age Group: Evidence from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2017–18

“…If the enabling factors are considered, the mothers who had optimum ANC visits (four or more) had higher odds of receiving a PNC checkup than their counterparts who had fewer visits, which is validated by the previous findings of India, 18 Pakistan, 21 Nepal, 22 Ethiopia, 3 , 16 , 27 , 29 Nigeria, 19 and Uganda. 24 A possible explanation of this finding is that exposure of pregnant women to counseling and knowledge during ANC visits about the health risk of the post-partum period encourage them to utilize adequate PNC services which keep them at a beneficial position irrespective of their socioeconomic status.…”

“…55 Moreover, this finding also made it obvious that women who had cesarean section delivery at different facilities had higher odds of receiving PNC from trained providers within 42 days of the delivery. Studies conducted in India, 18 Ethiopia 32 and Tanzania 33 also validate these findings. The mothers having cesarean section delivery are more prone to face complications that can be mitigated by required follow-up services resulting in improved health careseeking behavior.…”

“…40 This figure is higher to some extent than the prevalence reported in BDHS 2014 (34%). 41 Though the prevalence has risen over the years, this figure is not so impressive compared to other neighboring countries such as India (65%), 18 Myanmar (68%), 42 Nepal (59%), 43 Indonesia (78.5%) 34 and African countries such as Benin (68%) 44 and Zambia (63%). 35 While some other African countries such as Nigeria, 19 Ethiopia, 3 Rwanda, 45 and Kenya 46 have a lower prevalence of PNC than Bangladesh.…”

“…11 Therefore, it is imperative to focus on the factors associated with the utilization of PNC among the women of Bangladesh to inform the policymakers to be concerned of. An ample of studies highlighted the association between PNC utilization and various factors such as socioeconomic factors (educational level, employment status, and economic status of individuals), 3,12–24 demographic characteristics (administrative division, place of residence, and mother's age at birth), 3,12,13,19–22,25,26 and birth-related factors (antenatal care visits and, place and mode of delivery). 3,13,16,18,19,21,22,24,27–35 Although, a body of literature in Bangladesh have focused on post-natal care services of mothers from the perspectives of different region, 36–38 income level 39 or age, 12 a dearth of studies using recent nationally representative data in this topic is still dominant.…”

“…An ample of studies highlighted the association between PNC utilization and various factors such as socioeconomic factors (educational level, employment status, and economic status of individuals), 3,12–24 demographic characteristics (administrative division, place of residence, and mother's age at birth), 3,12,13,19–22,25,26 and birth-related factors (antenatal care visits and, place and mode of delivery). 3,13,16,18,19,21,22,24,27–35 Although, a body of literature in Bangladesh have focused on post-natal care services of mothers from the perspectives of different region, 36–38 income level 39 or age, 12 a dearth of studies using recent nationally representative data in this topic is still dominant. Furthermore most of the studies focused on early utilization of PNC 13 ; whereas the condition of the mother can worsen at any time during the post-partum period which makes the entire period of PNC highly crucial for maintaining maternal well-being.…”