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Equity in maternal health outcomes in a middle-income urban setting: a cohort study.
- Source :
- Reproductive Health; 6/18/2019, Vol. 16 Issue 1, pN.PAG-N.PAG, 1p, 1 Diagram, 3 Charts
- Publication Year :
- 2019
-
Abstract
- Background: Low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with more adverse perinatal health outcomes, risk factors and lower access to and use of maternal health care services. However, evidence for the association between SES and maternal health outcomes is limited, particularly for middle-income countries like sub-Saharan Ghana. We assessed the association between parental SES and adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes of Ghanaian women during pregnancy, delivery and the postpartum period. Methods: A prospective cohort study of 1010 women of two public hospitals in Accra, Ghana (2012–2014). SES was proxied by maternal and paternal education, wealth and employment status. The association of SES with maternal and perinatal outcomes was analyzed with multivariable logistic and linear regression. Results: The analysis included 790 women with information on pregnancy outcomes. Average age was 28.2 years (standard deviation, SD 5.0). Over a third (n = 292, 37.0%) had low SES, 176 (22.3%) were classified to have high SES using the assets index. Nearly half (n = 374, 47.3%) of women had lower secondary school or vocational training as highest education level. Compared to women with middle assets SES, women with low assets SES were at higher risk for miscarriage (odds ratio, OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.06 to 2.45) and instrumental delivery (OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.03 to 2.94), but this association was not observed for the other SES proxies. For any of the maternal or perinatal outcomes and SES proxies, no other statistically significant differences were found. Conclusion: Women attending public maternal health care services in urban Ghana had overall equitable maternal and perinatal health outcomes, with the exception of a higher risk of miscarriage and instrumental delivery associated with low assets SES. This suggests known associations between SES, risk factors and outcomes could be mitigated with universal and accessible maternal health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- PREGNANCY complication risk factors
RISK factors in miscarriages
ASSETS (Accounting)
CONFIDENCE intervals
EMPLOYMENT
FATHERHOOD
HEALTH services accessibility
HEALTH status indicators
LONGITUDINAL method
MATERNAL health services
EVALUATION of medical care
METROPOLITAN areas
MOTHERHOOD
MULTIVARIATE analysis
OBSTETRICAL extraction
OBSTETRICAL forceps
PARENTING
PREGNANCY
PUBLIC hospitals
PUERPERIUM
RISK assessment
VOCATIONAL education
MULTIPLE regression analysis
SOCIOECONOMIC factors
EDUCATIONAL attainment
MIDDLE-income countries
LOW-income countries
ODDS ratio
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 17424755
- Volume :
- 16
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Reproductive Health
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 137075434
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-019-0736-3