ArticleReproductive health2020
Religious, socio-cultural norms and gender stereotypes influence uptake and utilization of maternal health services among the Digo community in Kwale, Kenya: a qualitative study.
Article in Reproductive health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 52 citations in OpenAlex.
- Sociocultural factors influencing women's adherence to colorectal, breast, and cervical cancer screening: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- Barriers and facilitators to maternal healthcare in East Africa: a systematic review and qualitative synthesis of perspectives from women, their families, healthcare providers, and key stakeholders.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Pooled it
- Social capital and maternal and child health services uptake in low- and middle-income countries: mixed methods systematic review.BMC health services research · 2021Pooled it
- Effects of a clinic-based reproductive empowerment intervention on proximal outcomes of contraceptive use, self-efficacy, attitudes, and awareness and use of survivor services: a cluster-controlled trial in Nairobi, Kenya.Sexual and reproductive health matters · 2023Trial
- Nexus between sociocultural practices and maternal mortality in Pakistan: a geospatial analysis using Spatial Durbin model and multiscale geographically weighted regression.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Women's autonomy and discrimination relevant to cervical cancer screening.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2026Article
- Faith, Culture, and Choice: Unraveling the Determinants of Modern Contraceptive Use Among Married Women in Garbatula Sub-County, Kenya.BioMed research international · 2026Article
- Adolescent effective access to sexual and reproductive health and rights in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review of legal, institutional and sociocultural barriers.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Article
- Adverse childhood experiences, positive childhood experiences, suicidal thoughts or behaviors and psychological distress among Kenyan youth-an exploratory analysis of the 2019 Kenya Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS).Child abuse & neglect · 2025Article
- Voices unveiled: a mixed-methods exploration of family planning education, access, and Sociocultural determinants for enhancing contraceptive decision-making in western Gujarat, India.Contraception and reproductive medicine · 2025Article
- Article
- Gender disparities and barriers to access and use of essential health services in Ethiopia: Designing primary health care through gender lens.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Exploring cultural factors contributing maternal mortality among pregnant women: an ethnographic study in the Banjarnegara community, Central Java, Indonesia.Frontiers in global women's health · 2025Article
- Association between gender norms and attitudes towards abortion among very young adolescents in Kenya and Nigeria: a quantitative study.BMJ public health · 2025Article
- Cultural and religious structures influencing the use of maternal health services in Nigeria: a focused ethnographic research.Reproductive health · 2024Article
- Maternal Immunization Decision-Making Among Pregnant and Lactating People in Kenya: A Qualitative Exploration of Peer Influences on Vaccine Decision-Making for a Future RSV Vaccine.Maternal and child health journal · 2024Article
- Facilitating and limiting factors of cultural norms influencing use of maternal health services in primary health care facilities in Kogi State, Nigeria; a focused ethnographic research on Igala women.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Article
- Key barriers to the provision and utilization of maternal health services in low-and lower-middle-income countries; a scoping review.BMC women's health · 2024Article
- Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMaternal health outcomes in resource-limited settings are typically influenced by supply-side factors affecting the provision of quality health services. The extent to which demand-side factors contribute to this influence is unclear. We aimed to explore how individual and community-wide factors influenced uptake and utilization of maternal health services among the Digo community residing in Kwale County of coastal Kenya.
methodsBetween March and December 2015, we conducted 5 focus group discussions (FGDs) and 15 in-depth interviews (IDIs) with members of the Digo community predominant in Kwale county, Kenya. Respondents were sampled purposively and included female (pregnant and postpartum) as well as male adult community members. A thematic content analytic approach was used.
resultsThere were a total of 47 FGD respondents, including 15 (32%) females with a median (interquartile, IQR) age of 38 (27-55) years and 6 (3-8) children. Majority (40%) reported attaining secondary-level education. All IDI respondents were female with a median (IQR) age of 27 (24-35) years and 4 (2-5) children. Majority (80%) had attained primary-level education. We found that religious and socio-cultural norms as well as gender stereotypes were important influences on the uptake and utilization of maternal health services, including facility-based delivery and contraception. Key amongst this was the unspoken deference to the counsel of a prominent matriarchal figure in the decision-making process.
conclusionsAmong the Digo community of coastal Kenya, a unique social-cultural context comprising of a religious and gendered value belief system influences women's reproductive health and rights. These findings highlight the important role of demand-side factors in influencing maternal health outcomes. In addition to addressing supply-side factors, programs in such settings should aim to address factors that leverage inherent social capital to drive demand for maternal health services ensuring that they are not only effective, but also responsive to the local context.
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