Natal Care and Its Implication on Child Morbidity in Ghana

Abstract

The fundamental reason for this study is the issue of child morbidity of pre-school children in Ghana. The aim of government with the help of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and other stakeholders has been to reduce the level of child morbidity which leads to child mortality in Ghana. This study on natal care and its implication on child morbidity would help the government in formulating appropriate policies to curb this problem. This study uses Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) which is an infection of the lungs and the respiratory tract as a proxy for child morbidity. The specific aim of this study is to examine the nature of natal care and child morbidity and also to ascertain if natal care, mother’s income, and other demographic factors have an influence on child morbidity. For the mother’s income, the study used paid/unpaid maternity leave to determine her income to purchase health care and its influence on child morbidity. The study used data from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (2014) using the probit estimation method to estimate the health, demographic and income factors that influence child morbidity in Ghana. It showed evidence that some stages of natal care, unpaid maternity leave, and other demographic factors have a significant impact on child morbidity in Ghana. Specifically, the first post-natal care visits other than the first week after delivery positively and significantly influence the possibility in the occurrence of an acute respiratory illness in under five children. The study also showed that for mother’s income which determines her health care purchases, unpaid maternity leaves significantly and positively influences child morbidity. Other demographic factors as child’s age and household death experiences also have a positive significant influence on child morbidity in Ghana