Factors associated with postnatal care utilization in Afghanistan

• Published in: BMC women's health 2024-08, Vol.24 (1), p.463-10
• Main Author: Rahmati, Abdulhafiz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Afghanistan; Age; Child mortality; Children & youth; Cross-Sectional Studies; Education; Educational Status; Evaluation; Factors; Female; Frequency distribution; Health facilities; Health surveys; Households; Humans; Indigent care; Mass media; Maternal health services; Maternal mortality; Medical care; Middle Aged; Mother; Mothers; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - statistics & numerical data; Postnatal care; Postnatal Care - statistics & numerical data; Postpartum period; Pregnancy; Prenatal care; Secondary analysis; Socioeconomic Factors; Utilization; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1472-6874; 1472-6874
• DOI: 10.1186/s12905-024-03318-2

Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Inadequate postnatal care (PNC) increases the risk of maternal mortality. This study aimed to analyze the socioeconomic and demographic factors that affect postnatal care utilization. A secondary analysis was conducted in 2019 based on the data from the 2015 Afghanistan Demographic and Health Survey. The sample included 29,461 married women aged 15-49 interviewed during the survey. This was a cross-sectional study in which a frequency distribution of independent variables for the study sample was carried out, Pearson's chi-square test was conducted for association, and the strength of association was measured using binary logistic regression. The study found that 39.9% of married women used postnatal care services. The findings of this study suggest that place of delivery and women who gave birth at health facilities were more likely to use PNC than women who delivered at home. Women age 30-39 and 20-29 positively associated with PNC use compared with mothers aged