Vinod Mishra, PhD, MPH and Robert D. Retherford, PhD. Population and Health Studies, East-West Center, 1601 East-West Road, Honolulu, HI 96848, 808-944-7452, mishra@hawaii.edu

Delivering in medical institutions or at home with professional medical assistance has been shown to promote safe motherhood and child survival. Yet a large proportion of births (75%) in rural India continue to occur at home, most without the assistance of any trained health worker. This study examines the role of antenatal care in promoting professional assistance at delivery, using data from India’s 1992-93 and 1998-99 National Family Health Surveys (NFHS-1 and NFHS-2). We estimate the effect of number of antenatal care visits (0, 1-2, 3+) on the likelihood of receiving professional assistance at delivery (no assistance, assistance for home delivery, medical institution delivery), using multinomial logit regression, controlling for access to health facilities, pregnancy complications, and other potentially confounding factors. The results from NFHS-2 show that women who received three or more antenatal care visits (as recommended) were more than twice as likely to receive professional assistance for home delivery (OR=2.68; 95%CI: 2.24, 3.20) and more than five times as likely to deliver in a medical institution (OR=5.40; 95%CI: 4.65, 6.27) as women who did not receive any antenatal care visits. Women who received one or two antenatal care visits were also significantly more likely to have received professional assistance at delivery than those who received no visits (OR=2.02 for home delivery, and OR=2.59 for institutional delivery). Results are similar for individual states and for NFHS-1, indicating that antenatal care contacts with health providers can substantially increase the likelihood of receiving professional assistance at delivery in rural India.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize that a large propotion of women in developing countries do not receive proper health care during pregnany and childbirth.
• Recognize that increased contacts with antenatal care service providers can help promote utilization of professional medical assistance at delivery.

Keywords: Prenatal Care, Safe Mother Program

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: East-West Center
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: employment