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. 2018 Jul 9;18(1):295.
doi: 10.1186/s12884-018-1926-7.

The role of community-based health services in influencing postnatal care visits in the Builsa and the West Mamprusi districts in rural Ghana

Evelyn Sakeah  1 , Raymond Aborigo  2 , James Kotuah Sakeah  3 , Maxwell Dalaba  2 , Ernest Kanyomse  2 , Daniel Azongo  2 , Dominic Anaseba  2 , Samuel Oladokun  2 , Abraham Rexford Oduro  2
Affiliations

The role of community-based health services in influencing postnatal care visits in the Builsa and the West Mamprusi districts in rural Ghana

Evelyn Sakeah et al. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. .

Abstract

Background: Globally, maternal mortality is still a challenge. In Ghana, maternal morbidity and mortality rates remain high, particularly in rural areas. Postnatal Care (PNC) is one of the key strategies for improving maternal health. This study examined determinants of at least three PNC visits in rural Ghana.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study at the Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) Zones in the Builsa and West Mamprusi Districts between April and June 2016. We selected 650 women who delivered within 5 years preceding the survey (325 from each of the two sites) using the two-stage random sampling technique.

Results: Of the 650 respondents, 62% reported attending postnatal care at least three times. In the Builsa district, the percentage of women who made at least three PNC visits were 90% compared with 35% in the West Mamprusi district. Older women and those who attended antenatal clinics at least four times (AOR: 5.23; 95% CI: 2.49-11.0) and women who had partners with some secondary education (AOR: 3.31; 95% CI: 1.17-9.39) were associated with at least three PNC visits.

Conclusions: Men engagement in maternal health services and the introduction of home-based PNC services in rural communities could help health workers reach out to many mothers and children promptly and improve PNC visits in those communities.

Keywords: Community-based health service delivery-Ghana- maternal mortality-women service utilization-postnatal care.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study was approved by Navrongo Health Research Centre’s Institutional Review Board. The participants agreed to participate in this survey and signed an informed consent. If a participant was aged between 12 and 17 years, the consent of parent or legal guardian and the assent of the minor were obtained before the interview was conducted.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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