Multivariate Analysis of the Predictors of Women’s Delivery at a Health Facility: Evidence from 2016 Ethiopian Demography and Health Survey

Abstract

The prevalence of women’s health institutional delivery in developing countries, particularly in Ethiopia
is very low. The empirical data show that migration and socio-demographic factors are responsible
for low institutional deliveries in developing countries. Therefore, the overall objective of the study
was to establish whether there were differences in women’s access to delivery facilities across the
different migration status and socio-demographic factors. To achieve this objective, a cross-sectional
analysis of data from 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) was conducted.
The 2016 EDHS interviewed a total of 15, 683 women, aged 15 to 49 years both in rural and urban
areas. Out of the 15,683 interviewed women, only 7590 women who had live birth(s) in the last
five years preceding the survey were taken as a study participant. The bivariate and multivariate
analysis results show that urban to urban migrants and urban to rural migrants were more likely
to deliver at a health facility than those from other migration status. In relation to socio-demographic
factors, women who live in rural areas, women with no education, non-working women, older women,
women with high birth order and women in the poorest wealth index were less likely to deliver
at a health institution. Therefore, maternal health remains a public health concern due to lack of
sufficient access to delivery facilities. Attention should be given on migration and socio-demographic
factors that are responsible to inhibit women’s institutional delivery. The government should target
the most vulnerable groups such as rural women, non-working women, women in the poorest
wealth category and women with high birth order to further reduce maternal mortality in the country.