Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Dec 31;19(12):e0316117.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0316117. eCollection 2024.

Continuation of education after marriage and its relationship with professional maternal healthcare utilization among young adult women in Bangladesh

Sihab Howlader  1 , Md Aminur Rahman  1 , Md Mosfequr Rahman  1
Affiliations

Continuation of education after marriage and its relationship with professional maternal healthcare utilization among young adult women in Bangladesh

Sihab Howlader et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

The relationship between women's education and the utilization of adequate maternal healthcare services has been well documented. However, the literature on how the continuation of women's post-marital education affects the utilization of maternal healthcare services is limited. Therefore, this study investigates such relationships. This study aims to examine the association between the continuation of education after marriage and the utilization of antenatal care (ANC) (≥ 4 ANC, a four-contact model; and ≥ 8 ANC, an eight-contact model) and delivery assistance received from skilled professionals among currently married young adult women in Bangladesh. This was a cross-sectional study of 1,731 young adult women aged 15-29 years from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey, 2017-18. We adopted a multivariable logistic regression analysis to examine the relationships of interest. Results show that 60.9% of women received four or more professional ANCs, 15.5% received eight or more professional ANCs, and 69.9% received professional delivery care. Compared to young adult women who did not continue their education after marriage, women who continued were more likely to utilize ≥4 professional ANC (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.47; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11-1.94), ≥8 professional ANC (AOR = 1.22; 95% CI = 1.01-1.74), and professional delivery care services (AOR = 1.78; 95% CI = 1.29-2.44). In addition, age at marriage, exposure to television, and the wealth index were also found to be associated with the utilization of professional maternal healthcare services. This finding implies that implementing policies and programs that encourage girls to continue their education after marriage could potentially increase the utilization of professional ANC and delivery care services in Bangladesh.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Prevalence of professional maternal healthcare utilization among currently married young adult women, Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2017–2018.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Professional maternal healthcare utilization by continuation of education after marriage among currently married young adult women, Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2017–2018.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Regional distribution of professional maternal healthcare utilization among currently married young adult women, Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2017–2018.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. World Health Organization, Trends in maternal mortality 2000 to 2020: estimates by WHO,UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group and UNDESA/Population Division. 2023, Geneva: World Health Organization;.
    1. Alkema L., et al.., Global, regional, and national levels and trends in maternal mortality between 1990 and 2015, with scenario-based projections to 2030: a systematic analysis by the UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group. Lancet, 2016. 387(10017): p. 462–474. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Campbell O.M. and Graham W.J., Strategies for reducing maternal mortality: getting on with what works. Lancet, 2006. 368(9543): p. 1284–1299. - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization, Making pregnancy safer: the critical role of the skilled attendant: a joint statement by WHO, ICM and FIGO. 2004, Geneva: WHO.
    1. De Bernis L., et al.., Skilled attendants for pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal care. British Medical Bulletin, 2003. 67(1): p. 39–57. - PubMed