Factors Determining Place of Delivery in Rural Area of Punjab: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Context/Background: Institutional delivery has been found to be one of the key predictors of neonatal mortality
prevention and is a recognized intervention to reduce maternal mortality. Despite this known fact, mothers still
prefer to deliver at home.
Methodology: 359 mothers of 2 months to 24 months old children were selected from Verka block of district
Amritsar using stratified random sampling technique. Data was collected using a semi structured and pretested
questionnaire. Analysis was done using frequency distribution, simple percentages and inferential statistics of chisquare
was used to test hypothesis at 5% level of significance.
Results: The overall prevalence of institutional delivery was 64.9%. Study revealed that parity, proximity to public
health facility, high education, socioeconomic status and utilization of full antenatal package had significantly
increased the institutional delivery.
Conclusions: Therefore there is a need to enhance education, expand public health institutions and create
awareness about antenatal care and institutional delivery by utilizing existing platform of village level workers to
increase the rate of institutional delivery.