Determinants of postnatal maternity care service utilization in rural Belgaum of Karnataka, India: A community based cross-sectional study

Background: The postnatal period is critical to the health and survival of a mother and her newborn. Lack of care in this period may result in death or disability as well as missed opportunities to promote healthy behaviors, affecting women and newborn children. Hence, the study was carried out to explore determinants of postnatal maternity service utilization in the rural area of Belgaum. Materials and Methods: Community based cross-sectional study was carried out from August 2012 to January 2013 in rural Belgaum. Total 630 mothers with less than 1 year child were interviewed using pretested questionnaire with her written consent. Analysis was done in Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 applying appropriate statistics. Results were presented in tabular and narrative forms. Results: Among 630 mothers, 54.6% were 20–24 years of age, 61.6% were having secondary level of education, 89.8% house wives and 91.6% Hindus. About 69.7% were from joint family with low economic status. Regarding postnatal service use; 79.0% use properly. Almost; three-fifth met with nurse/health workers at least three times, four-fifth got advice about breast/nipple care, 92.5% about breast-feeding, 67.9% about post-natal exercise, 89.0% on nutrition education, and 85% got the advice of uterus care. About 29.8% perceived some health problems. Education, income, awareness, and delivery places were found most significant determinants (P < 0.01) of postnatal services use. Conclusion: More than three quarters of mothers had used the proper postnatal maternity services. Education, family income, awareness, and delivery place were found as most significant factors. Sustainable maternal and child healthcare (MCH) programs and awareness will support to achieve furthermore better results.