Desalegn Bekele, Adane Terefe
Background: An estimated 303,000 maternal deaths occurred globally in 2015, yielding an overall 216 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. Developing regions account for approximately 99% of the estimated, with sub-Saharan Africa alone accounting for roughly 66% and Ethiopia accounting for 3.6%. Most of these deaths are because of the lack of access to skilled childbirth attendances and emergency cares. Reducing maternal morbidity and mortality is a global priority which is particularly relevant to developing countries like Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of facilitybased childbirth and associated factors in Kombolcha Woreda, East Hararghe Zone, Ethiopia. Methods: Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from September 25 to October 15, 2014 in Kombolcha Woreda. Multi stage sampling method with stratification of the woreda into rural and urban areas was used in selecting 785 women of child bearing age, who gave birth to at least one child within the past 24 months. A pretested and structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Binary and multiple logistic regression analysis with 95% confidence interval were performed using SPSS version 20.0 software. Results: Only 14.2% of the mothers gave birth to their last baby in health facilities. Mothers age between 15-24 years during the interview (AOR=4.23, 95% CI: 1.35, 20.29), Urban mothers (AOR=3.44, 95% CI: 1.54, 7.40), mothers with secondary education and above (AOR=4.13, 95% CI:1.46,11.73), mothers who visited health facilities for ANC during pregnancy (AOR=4.22, 95% CI: 1.82, 11.65), mothers who had problems during pregnancy (AOR=2.21, 95% CI: 1.82, 9.65) were more likely to give birth at health institutions. Conclusion: Very low facility-based childbirth was observed in the study area. Improving accessibility, increasing the awareness of mothers and their partners, working on equity and empowering mothers are recommended.
