Abstract:
Background: Every year some 536 000 women die of complications during pregnancy or
childbirth, 99% of them are from developing countries. Though maternal health service
utilization is very important, WHO reports the proportion of births attended by skilled health
personnel is very low in developing countries because of variety of reasons.
Objective: To assess determinants of institutional delivery among mothers following antenatal
care at health institution in Gindaberet and Abuna Gindaberet districts, March, 2010.
Methodology: Facility based cross sectional study design was applied among mothers attended
antenatal care (ANC) at government health institution in Gindaberet and Abuna Gindaberet
Woreda, March, 2010. A total of 322 pregnant women were participated in the study. The data
were collected quantitatively by face to face exit interview using structured questionnaire and
focus group discussion was used for qualitative. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS
version 16.0 and thematic coding analysis was applied for qualitative.
Result: Majority 229 (71.1%) and more than half 192 (59.6%) of the respondents had high
perceived susceptibility and severity to pregnancy complications respectively. Two hundred five
(63.7%) and 117 (37%) of the respondents had high perceived benefits and barriers to
institutional delivery respectively. Residence, time mothers spent to get to health institution,
history of under-one child death, perceived susceptibility and severity to pregnancy
complications of the respondents were the determinants of place of delivery. Those mothers who
had low perceived susceptibility and severity to pregnancy complication were more likely to
deliver at their home than those who have high perceived susceptibility and severity to
pregnancy complication OR = 3.45, 95% CI = 1.24 – 9.65 & OR = 3.36, 95% CI = 1.23 – 9.18
respectively.
Conclusion: Factors like mothers’ educational status, husbands’ educational status, residence,
history of antenatal care visit, number of antenatal care received, obstetric outcomes and
pregnancy danger signs and symptoms have significant contribution on place of delivery and
where mothers intends to deliver. Perceived susceptibility and perceived severity to pregnancy
complications and perceived barriers of institutional delivery utilization have positive effects on
place of recent child delivery and place where mothers intends to deliver their current pregnancy.
