Assessment of Utilization of Maternal Health Care Services for Delivery by Pregnant Women in Ogun State, Nigeria

The study examined the assessment of utilization of maternal health care services for delivery by pregnant women in Ogun state, Nigeria. The descriptive research design of the survey type was used in the study. The population of this study consisted of pregnant women living in Ogun State. The sample for this study consisted of 142 pregnant women selected from some communities in Ogun State, Nigeria. A self-designed questionnaire was used to collect data for the study. The validity of the instrument was ensured through face and content validity. The reliability of the instrument was determined by finding the internal consistency of the instrument using Cronbach alpha. This yielded a coefficient value of 0.78. The data collected from the questionnaire were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings of this study revealed that primary health care center is accessible to the pregnant women and they have access to the services rendered.  Also, the pregnant women utilized maternal health care services very often while the level of utilization of primary health care center in for delivery by pregnant women is high. The findings further revealed that level of education does not determine utilisation of maternal health care services and utilisation of primary health care center for delivery by pregnant women. Based on the findings, it was recommended that while there is the need to raise awareness on the utilisation of maternal health services, bring it closer to the mothers and make it more affordable, there is a more pressing need to improve its quality, especially through the alleviation of negative attitude of health care providers.

Keywords: Utilization, Maternal Health Care, Delivery, Pregnant Women,