ArticlePloS one2024
Socioeconomic inequalities in utilizing maternal health care in five South Asian countries: A decomposition analysis.
Article in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Post-COVID syndrome in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh: a systematic narrative review of epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and healthcare system responses.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Understanding the drivers associated with maternal delivery choices: comparative study between urban and rural women in Indonesia.Korean journal of family medicine · 2026Article
- A comprehensive maternal health risk prediction dataset from IoT-enabled medical cyber-physical systems in developing countries: supporting machine learning and deep learning applications for clinical decision support.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2026Article
- Comparison of urban-rural inequality in quality antenatal care among women in Bangladesh and Pakistan: a multivariable decomposition analysis.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- 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
- Maternal mortality ratios in Southeast Asia (1990-2021): trends, disparities, and projections through 2050 based on the global burden of disease 2021, with reference to SDG 3.1.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Joint predictors of antenatal care contacts and timing of antenatal care initiation among women of reproductive age in Ethiopia.PloS one · 2025Article
- Institutional Delivery in the Philippines: Does a Minimum of 8 Antenatal Care Visits Matter?Journal of preventive medicine and public health = Yebang Uihakhoe chi · 2025Article
- Addressing health inequities in Southeast Asia: challenges and opportunities.The Lancet regional health. Southeast Asia · 2024Article
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6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
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Abstract
backgroundHigh maternal mortality rates still today remain a significant public health concern in South Asian countries. The majority of maternal deaths occur during pregnancy, and these deaths may typically be avoided by ensuring that women have access to reliable maternity care such as antenatal care (ANC) and facility delivery. The objectives of this research were to assess socioeconomic disparities in the utilization of health care services by mothers and to determine the factors influencing this utilization among women aged 15 to 49 in five South Asian countries.
methodsFor this study, nationally representative data from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) were analyzed. This research included a total of 262,531 women between the ages of 15 and 49. To determine the likely causes of maternal health care utilization, simple bivariate statistics and binary logistic regression were applied, and decomposition analysis and the concentration curve were used to quantify disparity (Lorenz curve).
resultsANC and institutional delivery were both prevalent in 59.27% and 86.52% of cases, respectively. Among the five nations, Maldives has the greatest ANC (96.83%) and institutional delivery (99.39%), while Bangladesh has the lowest ANC (47.01%) and institutional delivery (49.81%). Women's and husbands' education, household wealth status, BMI, and urban residents are the most important factors influencing maternal health service utilization, whereas higher education level, affluent wealth quintiles, and place of residence are the major contributors to socioeconomic inequalities in access to maternal health care that favor the wealthy.
conclusionMaternal health care services must be utilized properly in order to promote optimal health and prevent maternal mortality. Several socioeconomic and sociodemographic variables of the individual population, as well as policy issues, all have an impact on maternal mortality. This research recommends for concerted action to enhance how successfully women use maternity care services.
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