Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40287709›Full record

ArticleBMC health services research2025

Socio-economic and geographic equity in maternal health services utilization in Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study.

Zewditu Denu, Atkure Defar, Lars Persson, Seblewengel Lemma, Della Berhanu, Theodros Getachew, Solomon Shiferaw, Amare Tariku, Tadesse Guadu, Meseret Zelalem and 4 more

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Article in BMC health services research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

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4citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Zewditu DenuInstitute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia. zewditudenuabdissa@gmail.com.
Atkure DefarDepartment of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Lars PerssonDepartment of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Seblewengel LemmaDepartment of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Della BerhanuDepartment of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Theodros GetachewHealth System and Reproductive Health Research Directorate, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Solomon ShiferawSchool of Public Health, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Amare TarikuInstitute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Tadesse GuaduInstitute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Meseret ZelalemMaternal, Child & Adolescent Health Service Lead Executive Office, Federal Ministry of Health, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Girum TayeHealth System and Reproductive Health Research Directorate, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Joanna SchellenbergDepartment of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Tanya MarchantDepartment of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Kassahun AlemuDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAddressing disparities in reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health services is crucial in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of universal health coverage. The persistence of social and geographic disparities in maternal health service coverage and utilization poses significant challenges. Ensuring equity in health service access and utilization as part of universal health coverage requires evidence whether these inequities exist. This study aimed to measure socio-economic and geographic equity in coverage and effective coverage of both antenatal care and skilled birth attendance.

methodsWe conducted a secondary analysis of data collected from the Performance Monitoring for Action Ethiopia from 2019 to 2020, including 2714 postpartum women at around six weeks and service delivery point assessment data from 462 health facilities. We measured inequities in the utilization of four or more antenatal care visits and skilled birth attendance using equiplots and concentration index. Moran's I, Getis-Ord Gi statistics and Kriging interpolations were employed to analyze geographic variations of maternal health service utilization.

resultsIn this study, 40% (95%CI: 36, 45) utilized four or more ANC visits, and 12% (95%CI: 11, 14) received quality antenatal care. Over half (54%, 95%CI: 48, 59) of women utilized skilled birth attendance, but only 7% (95%CI: 4, 8) received quality delivery care. The absolute equity gap between the least poor and the poorest women was 43 percentage points for ANC visits and 65 percentage points for skilled birth attendance. A higher proportion of women in Central and Northern parts of Ethiopia had four or more ANC visits and utilized skilled birth attendance, while most parts of the Eastern part of the country and most areas in the South had low levels of utilization.

conclusionThe coverage of four or more antenatal care visits and skilled birth attendance was low and inequitable, with the poorest women receiving fewer services. The coverage varied across different parts of the country. Interventions that target groups of women and geographic areas with low coverage of services are crucial for reaching the goal of universal health coverage.

Indexed as

Healthcare DisparitiesMaternal Health ServicesPatient Acceptance of Health CareAdolescentAdultCross-Sectional StudiesEthiopiaFemaleHealth Services AccessibilityHumansPregnancyPrenatal CareSocioeconomic FactorsYoung AdultInequityMaternal healthSocio-economic status geographic difference

Identifiers

PMID40287709
PMCPMC12032688

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.