This study investigated the prevalence and factors associated with poor maternal health care services utilization (MHCSU) i.e., having < 4 antenatal care (ANC) visits, not delivering at a health facility, and not receiving institutional postnatal care (PNC).
We conducted a secondary analysis of data from the 2014 Eswatini Multiple Cluster Indicator Survey, a cross-sectional, nationally representative household survey. Participants were childbearing women (15-49 years) who had a live birth in the past two years preceding the survey. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed for each outcome variable.
The prevalence of poor MHCSU was 22.1% (202/903) for ANC, 10.4% (102/899) for institutional delivery or intrapartum care (IPC), and 26.9% (123/598) for PNC. Being younger, having a low education level, being never married, having no access to mass media, being a household head of low education, coming from a household of poor/middle wealth index, being a primipara, having an unintended pregnancy, and having a longer length of stay in the postpartum ward were significantly associated with poor MHCSU.
Midwives should pay special attention to women who present with the factors associated with poor MHCSU identified in this study, as early as the first booking for ANC to intervene early.

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