INFANT MORTALITY IN THE RURAL SIDAMA ZONE, SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA: EXAMINING THE CONTRIBUTION OF KEY PREGNANCY AND POSTNATAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES
Objectives: This study is aimed at examining the contribution of selected
pregnancy and postnatal health care services to Infant Mortality (IM) in
Southern Ethiopia.
Method: Data were collected from 10 rural villages of the Sidama Zone,
Southern Ethiopia, using a structured interview schedule. The 1,094
eligible women respondents were selected using a combination of simple
random and multi-stage sampling techniques. The main outcome variable
of the study (IM) was measured by reported infant deaths during the twelve
months preceding the survey, and was estimated at 9.6% or 96 infant
deaths per 1,000 births. Pregnancy and health care variables were used as
the main explanatory variables along with other household and individual
characteristics.
Results: The predicted probabilities, using three models of logistic
regression analysis, have shown that four pregnancy and postnatal health
care variables (antenatal care, immunisation, exclusive breast feeding and
wantedness of the pregnancy) and women’s age are found to be significant
predictors of IM in the study areas.
Conclusions: Finally, based on the key findings, some recommendations
are given: promoting of institutional delivery seeking behaviour through
behavioural change communications, training more Traditional Birth
Attendants (TBAs), and maximising the use of the Health Extension
Workers (HEWs) stationed at village level to make a house-to-house visit
so as to encourage pregnant women to seek pregnancy and delivery care
services.
Further reading: http://casopis-zsfju.zsf.jcu.cz/journal-of-nursing-social-studies-public-health-and-rehabilitation/administrace/clankyfile/20120628110350302926.pdf
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