Prevalence And Associated Factors For Non Utilisation Of Maternity Care Services In Rural Kano State

Objectives:- To determine the prevalence and the related sociodemographic determinants for non-utilisation of maternity care services in Shekar Maidaki Village, Kano State. Design:- Community based study. Methods:- One of the three wards in Shekar Maidaki Village was randomly selected. A cross sectional survey of all women in the village was carried out to identify mothers of children aged 23 months or less. These mothers were voluntarily recruited into a case – control study using a pretested questionnaire. Results:- The prevalence of non-utilisation of maternity care services amongst the 152 mothers of children aged 23 months and below was 78.3%. The key determinants for non-utilisation are low level of maternal education (P=0.005) high parity (P=0.007) and antenatal care non-attendance (p=0.001). Main reasons for non-hospital delivery are spousal inhibition (36.2%), access to experience TBA (24.1%) and the cost of institutional services (15.1%). Conclusion:- Utilisation of available maternity care services in our rural communities is poor, as a result of high illiteracy rate, cultural barriers and cost of institutional care. Formal education of the girl child, free maternity care and improvement of the quality of care may enhance utilisation. Key words:- Non-utilisation, maternity care services, rural. Highland Medical Research Journal Vol.2(2) 2004: 29-3