Utilization of skilled birth attendant at birth and associated factors among women who gave birth in the last 24 months preceding the survey in Gura Dhamole Woreda, Bale zone, southeast Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Maternal morbidity and mortality continued to be major issues in many countries. Globally a total of 10.7 million women have died between 1990 and 2015 due to maternal causes where sub-Saharan Africa alone accounts for 66% of maternal death. Since most maternal deaths are avoidable; skilled attendance during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum is among the most critical interventions for improving maternal and neonatal survival. The study aimed to assess the magnitude and associated factors of utilization of skilled birth attendant at birth among women who gave birth in the last 24 months preceding the study in Gura Dhamole Woreda, Bale Zone Southeast Ethiopia, 2017. METHODS: Community based cross-sectional study was implemented from March 25 to April 24, 2017 in Gura Dhamole Woreda on total of 402 study subjects who were selected by Multi-stage sampling technique. The data were collected using pre-tested structured questionnaire and data was coded, entered, cleaned and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Service (SPSS) Version 20. Odds ratio with 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was used to assess associations the dependent and independent variables. Logistic regression model was employed to identify independent predictors and variables were declared statistically significant at P value < 0.05. RESULT: In this study only 29.2% of women were assisted by Skilled Birth Attendance (SBA) during their child birth. Place of residence, mother education, travel time, joint decision on the place of delivery, ANC visit frequency, birth preparedness and complication readiness status, knowledge on obstetric danger signs after delivery and knowledge of presence of maternity waiting homes were significantly associated with SBA utilization. CONCLUSION: Skilled birth attendant utilization in the study area was low. Strategies that improve attendance of antenatal care utilization and attention to birth preparedness and complication readiness and counseling on danger signs are recommended.