Are Ethiopian women getting the recommended maternal health services? The analysis of Ethiopian mini Demographic and Health Survey 2019

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Health services during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period play a pivotal role in the survival of both the mother and the baby. We, therefore, analyzed maternal health service utilization and the related drivers among women of childbearing age in Ethiopia. METHODS: We used secondary data from the 2019 Ethiopian mini Demographic and Health Survey. The survey was conducted in 11 regions, and 2 city administrations, in Ethiopia from March 21 to June 28, 2019. Maternal health service utilization was measured in terms of three dimensions including antenatal care (ANC), skilled delivery service, and postnatal care (PNC). Bi‐variable and multivariable logistic regression was used. We then fitted three separate models. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25; all analysis was adjusted for cluster and sample weight. RESULTS: A total of 2923, 3924, and 1899 women were included for ANC, delivery, and PNC utilization, respectively. The majority of 1802 (61.7%) women had a “good” antenatal care utilization, and it was explained by the level of maternal education, marital status, and wealth index. Nearly half, of 1899 (48.1%) of the women gave birth in a health facility, and it was associated with age, educational status, wealth index, the timing of first antenatal care, and the number of antenatal care contact. Finally, one third (33.7%) of them had adequate PNC utilization and it was associated with households having a television, the timing of first antenatal care, and the number of antenatal care contacts. CONCLUSION: Despite the due emphasis on maternal health services by the Ethiopian government, the uptake of services is not optimal. Women empowerment and timely and adequate ANC contacts will prepare women for better uptake of services.