Factors influencing utilization of free deliveries services among women at kirinyaga county referral hospital, Kirinyaga County.

Background: Free delivery services aim to reduce both maternal
and infants’ morbidities and moralities. Objective: The objective of
the study was to determine factors that influence utilization of free
delivery services. Study Design: A cross-sectional study. Study Setting: Kirinyaga County Referral Hospital, Kirinyaga County Subjects/participants: One hundred and four questionnaires were given
to mothers who met the inclusion criteria. Results: The younger the
prospective mother, the less likely it become that she will utilize free
delivery care service, 25% of respondents who were between the ages of
15-24 years’ old. Correspondent to this study’s results where 45.1% had
attained secondary level of education, 21.7% had attained primary level,
22.1%, had attained college/ university while 11.1% had no education.
On Knowledge about free delivery services in this study, 76.5% of the
respondents indicated they had knowledge on free delivery services
while 23.5% had no knowledge on free delivery. On health, related
factor 89.1% of respondent upheld the quality of service to be good
and 10.9% quality not good. Conclusion: Younger women and mothers
were likely not to seek free delivery care services as compared to
the older women. Those with a higher level of education were more
likely to seek postnatal care services than those without education.
Women with a source of income were likely to seek free delivery
care more as compared to those without income. Women were more
likely to seek services that were closer hence long distances to health
facilities prevented them from seeking the services. Religion was a
push factor for maternal health seeking behavior rather than a source
of exclusion that would prevent women from receiving or seeking free
hospital delivery care. The health care providers made information on
free hospital delivery services readily available