Access and utilisation of safe motherhood services of expecting mothers in Ghana.

Abstract

Despite more than a decade of the Safe Motherhood Initiative in Ghana, access and utilisation levels of modern healthcare services by expecting mothers remain very low, even though considerable progress has been made over time. Using Andersen's behavioural model (1968, 1995) as the conceptual framework, the study examines, with data from Ghana DHS (GSS and MI, 1999), user-related social, economic and demographic factors that influence access and utilisation of safe motherhood services. The bivariate and multivariate analyses reveal that education of mother and spouse, regional location of residence and socioeconomic status exert the strongest impact and are significant in predicting the use of safe motherhood services and thus differentials in health among expecting mothers. The implications of these results for improved maternal healthcare are discussed.