Mothers’ satisfaction with health extension services and the associated factors in Gamo Goffa zone, Southern Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Providing compassionate and respectful maternity services in order to bring satisfaction to service users is one of the health extension services packages in Ethiopia. Though the service utilization and its associated factors have been well documented so far, yet there is a dearth of information on client satisfaction; particularly among rural women who are mostly the target groups of health extension services within the Ethiopia. Thus, this study aimed to assess mothers’ satisfaction with health extension services and the associated factors in the Gamo Goffa Zone, of Southern Ethiopia. METHODS: A community based cross sectional study was conducted among 478 women from February 1(st) to February 28(th) of 2018. A pre-tested and interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. The study participants were selected using a systematic random sampling technique by allocating a proportion to each rural kebeles. Both bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to identify associated factors. Odds ratio with its 95% confidence interval was used to determine the degree of association. Level of statistical significance was set at a p-value of less than 0.05. RESULT: The overall proportion of mothers who were satisfied with health extension services was 37.4% with 95% CI (33–44%). Mothers who had good family monthly income [AOR = 4.66 (95% CI: 1.1, 20.6)], whose husbands participated in the health extension program [AOR = 4.02 (95% CI: 2.0, 8.1)], who had recent participation in planning of health extension programs [AOR = 5.75 (95% CI: 2.0, 16.5)], who were recognized as a model family [AOR = 2.23 (95% CI: 1.1, 4.6)] had higher odds of satisfaction with health extension services. CONCLUSION: Satisfaction with the health extension services was low among women in the study area. A better household monthly income, women’s and their husbands’ participation in health extension services and being a member of a model family were positively associated with their satisfaction. Interventions to enhance women’s satisfaction in the health extension service need to focus on household-based involvement of them and their husbands in planning and implementing the services. Likewise, expansion of experiences of model families in the community would raise satisfaction levels.