Determinants of choice of place of delivery among middle age mothers (40-49) in Uganda

Abstract

The place women choose to deliver is considered an important factor which has the potential to affect the health and well-being of the mother and the newborn. The main objective of the study was to identify factors associated with place of delivery for middle age mothers (40-49). Using data from the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS), a weighted sample of 910 women aged 40-49 who had given birth in the last 5 years preceding the survey were selected for the choice of place delivery. Frequency distributions were used to describe the background characteristics of the women and their partners. Pearson’s chi-squared (χ2 ) tests were used to investigate the associations between place of delivery and explanatory variables. More than half (65%) of the women delivered from hospital. Choice of place of delivery was significantly associated with the mothers’ wealth index, region, education level and place of residence. The percentage of women delivering in hospital increased with increase in education level and wealth index. Ideally to increase the number of women who deliver in hospitals, emphasis should be put women education, women financial empowering programs and improved access to health facilities.