Household Decision-making about Delivery in Health Facilities: Evidence from Tanzania

Authors

  • EJ Danforth Department of Anthropology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida,
  • ME Kruk Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI
  • PC Rockers Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI
  • G Mbaruku Ifakara Health Institute and Averting Maternal Death and Disability, Mikocheni, Dar-es-salaam
  • S Galea Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3329/jhpn.v27i5.3781

Keywords:

Delivery, Healthcare, Health services, Maternal mortality, Partner's influence, Tanzania

Abstract

This study investigated how partners' perceptions of the healthcare system influence decisions about delivery-location in low-resource settings. A multistage population-representative sample was used in Kasulu district, Tanzania, to identify women who had given birth in the last five years and their partners. Of 826 couples in analysis, 506 (61.3%) of the women delivered in the home. In multivariate analysis, factors associated with delivery in a health facility were agreement of partners on the importance of delivering in a health facility and agreement that skills of doctors are better than those of traditional birth attendants. When partners disagreed, the opinion of the woman was more influential in determining delivery-location. Agreement of partners regarding perceptions about the healthcare system appeared to be an important driver of decisions about delivery-location. These findings suggest that both partners should be included in the decision-making process regarding delivery to raise rates of delivery at facility.

J Health Popul Nutr 2009 Oct; 27(5):696-703

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Author Biographies

ME Kruk, Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI

Dr. M.E. Kruk
Department of Health Management and Policy
University of Michigan School of Public Health
109 Observatory Road, SPH II M3166
Ann Arbor, MI, 48109
USA
Email: mkruk@umich.edu

S Galea, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI

Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 109 Observatory Road, SPH II M3166, Ann Arbor,
MI, 48109, USA and Averting Maternal Death and Disability Programme Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health,
Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 60 Haven Avenue, Room B-320, New York, NY 10032, USA

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How to Cite

Danforth, E., Kruk, M., Rockers, P., Mbaruku, G., & Galea, S. (2009). Household Decision-making about Delivery in Health Facilities: Evidence from Tanzania. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, 27(5), 696–703. https://doi.org/10.3329/jhpn.v27i5.3781

Issue

Vol. 27 No. 5 (2009)

Section

Original Papers