Determinants of continued maternal care seeking during pregnancy, birth and postnatal and associated neonatal survival outcomes in Kenya and Uganda: analysis of cross-sectional, demographic and health surveys data

OBJECTIVES: To examine how maternal and sociodemographic factors determine continued care-seeking behaviour from pregnancy to postnatal period in Kenya and Uganda and to determine associated neonatal survival outcomes. DESIGN: A population-based analysis of cross-sectional data using multinomial and binary logistic regressions. SETTING: Countrywide, Kenya and Uganda. PARTICIPANTS: Most recent live births of 24 502 mothers within 1–59 months prior to the 2014–2016 Demographic and Health Surveys. OUTCOMES: Care-seeking continuum and neonatal mortality. RESULTS: Overall, 57% of the mothers had four or more antenatal care (ANC) contacts, of which 73% and 41% had facility births and postnatal care (PNC), respectively. Maternal/paternal education versus no education was associated with continued care seeking in majority of care-seeking classes; relative risk ratios (RRRs) ranged from 2.1 to 8.0 (95% CI 1.1 to 16.3). Similarly, exposure to mass media was generally associated with continued care seekin; RRRs ranged from 1.8 to 3.2 (95% CI 1.2 to 5.4). Care-seeking tendency reduced if a husband made major maternal care-seeking decisions. Transportation problems and living in rural versus urban were largely associated with lower continued care use; RRR ranged from 0.4 to 0.7 (95% CI 0.3 to 0.9). The two lowest care-seeking categories with no ANC and no PNC indicated the highest odds for neonatal mortality (adjusted OR 4.2, 95% CI 1.6 to 10.9). 23% neonatal deaths were attributable to inadequate maternal care attendance. CONCLUSION: Strategies such as mobile health specifically for promoting continued maternal care use up to postnatal could be integrated in the existing structures. Another strategy would be to develop and employ a brief standard questionnaire to determine a mother’s continued care-seeking level during the first ANC visit and to use the information to close the care-seeking gaps. Strengthening the community health workers system to be an integral part of promoting continued care seeking could enhance care seeking as a stand-alone strategy or as a component of aforementioned suggested strategies.