Individual and community-level factors associated with non-institutional delivery of women of childbearing-age in Nigeria

Maternal health is a major concern in Africa especially due to high level of maternal mortality in the region. A significant cause of high mortality is the unavailability of health facilities and preference for home-based delivery often carried out by unskilled health attendants. Reports reveal that 69% of young women in Nigeria opt for home-based delivery in Nigeria and some of these mothers lose their lives as a result of childbirth complications that are not properly attended to. This trend calls for urgent concern in the nation's health system. Against this backdrop, this study examined the determinants of non-institutional delivery among women of reproductive age in Nigeria using the country's National Demographic Health Survey [NDHS] (2018. Demographic health survey data. NPC and ICF, Abuja, Nigeria and Rockville. MD, USA) The data for this study include 12,567 of women of childbearing-age contained in the NDHS data. To analyse the data, the multilevel binary logistic regression was used to examine the determinants of non-institutional delivery among the women of childbearing-age. The results were presented using adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence interval. The result revealed that 56.8% of women preferred to have their children outside health institutions. The findings further revealed that educated women including urban dwellers, women with some level of formal education, high exposure to news media, high level of income and women with significant level of autonomy were less likely to deliver their babies outside health institutions. Based on the findings of the study, that there is the need to expand educational opportunities for Nigerian women, enhance and strengthen advocacy, and utilise focused group discussions, family outreach programmes and peer education to educate mothers on the benefits of using healthcare facilities during childbirth.

Automated summary

Maternal health is a major concern in Africa due to limited access to health facilities and preference for home-based delivery, leading to high maternal mortality. A significant number of young women in Nigeria choose home-based delivery, highlighting the need for urgent attention in the nation's health system. To address this, educational opportunities for Nigerian women should be expanded, advocacy efforts should be strengthened, and interventions such as group discussions, family outreach programs, and peer education should be utilized to promote the use of healthcare facilities during childbirth.