Socio-Economic Characteristics and Utilization Patterns of Maternal Health Care Services in Rural Assam: Evidence from Dhemaji District

Abstract

Background: Despite improvements in maternal healthcare services, maternal mortality remains a major public health concern in developing countries, where limited access to adequate maternal healthcare services and complications during pregnancy and childbirth continue to pose serious risks to women's health. Maternal mortality not only impacts the well-being of women but also affects overall development. As maternal death can be reduced only through good care of maternal health, utilization of Maternal health care services is essential for reducing maternal morbidity and mortality and ensuring the well-being of both mother and child. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the socio-economic characteristics and patterns of maternal healthcare services utilization among rural women in Dhemaji district, Assam. Methods: This research is both descriptive and analytical. This study employs a mixed-methods approach, integrating quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the socio-economic characteristics and the prevailing patterns of maternal healthcare service utilization in public health facilities of Dhemaji district, Assam. Data were collected from both primary and secondary sources. A total of 340 respondents were selected employing a Multistage sampling from two health blocks. A predesigned interview schedule was used for data collection, and descriptive statistics and SPSS were employed to analyze the collected data.

Results: The study indicates that approximately 75% of women registered for antenatal care during the first trimester, 27.9% of respondents visited more than 4 ANC visits, while 3.2% did not. About 83.8% of women received iron and folic acid (IFA) tablets, and 90.6% of respondents received at least one TT vaccination throughout their pregnancy. Only 9.8% of women received postnatal care services within the recommended period after childbirth, while 90.1% did not utilize postnatal care. Almost 60.6% of women do not receive any benefits from government-sponsored maternal health schemes in the study area. This finding highlights a substantial gap in utilization of maternal healthcare services despite relatively high levels of antenatal registration and institutional delivery.

Conclusion: The utilization of maternal health care services in the study area is comparatively low. This study highlights a mixed pattern of maternal health care utilization with early ANC registration and substantial institutional delivery, but very low postnatal care utilization in the study area. The present study indicates that utilization of recommended ANC visits, consumption of IFA tablets, immunization with the TT vaccine, and adoption of family planning are limited. Socio-economic characteristics such as women's age, education, occupational status, religion, place of delivery, mode of delivery, parity, etc., were important and shaped women’s access to utilization of maternal health care services. Maternal health care services are crucial for improving the health and well-being of mothers and their children, as well as enhancing overall population health.