Delay in Seeking Institutional Delivery Service Utilization and Associated Factors Among Mothers Attending Jimma Medical Center, Jimma, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND

Pregnancy and childbirth-related complications are unpredictable; however, it is preventable by timely care-seeking to obstetric care service.

OBJECTIVE

To assess delay in seeking institutional delivery service utilization and associated factors among mothers attending Jimma medical center, Southwest Ethiopia.

METHODS

Facility-based cross-sectional study design was employed. The sample size was determined by a single population proportion formula. Data were collected from 405 mothers by face-to-face interview and entered using epi-data version 3.1, then exported to SPSS version 23 for analysis. Binary and multivariable logistic regression analysis with 95% CI for odds ratio (OR) was used to identify significant factors.

RESULTS

The prevalence of delay in seeking institutional delivery service utilization was 189 (46.7%). Husbands' educational status was found to be significantly associated with a maternal delay in seeking care, (AOR= 4.9; 95% CI=2.1-11.3). Unemployed mothers and mothers with a low income had shown higher odds of delay (AOR= 6.0; 95% CI=1.7-21.2), (AOR=2.1; 95% CI=1.2-3.7) respectively. Similarly, mothers who live >10 kilometers from health facility delayed about 2times, (AOR=1.8; 95% CI= 1.0-3.2). Moreover, the likelihood of mothers with no antenatal care follow-up was found to have higher delay than mothers who have antenatal care follow-up (AOR =2.8; 95% CI =1.1-6.7).

CONCLUSION

Delay in seeking institutional delivery service was high. Factors such as the husband's educational status, distance from the health facility, income, Antenatal care follow-up, and occupation of the mother were found significant factors of delay in seeking care. Therefore, it is important to reduce delay in seeking care for institutional delivery service utilization by working on barriers, plus empowering women, promoting antenatal care, and education.