Postnatal Care in Nigeria: A Multidimensional Analysis

Dorothy Ononokpono, University of Uyo
Sunday Adedini, University of the Witwatersrand
Eunice N. S. Imasiku, University of Zambia

Maternal health situaion in Nigeria is poor, yet most women in the country do not attend postnatal care services. Previous studies on postnatal care focus on individual level influences, but the role of community attributes has been largely ignored. Drawing data from the 2008 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey we examined community contextual influences on postnatal care in Nigeria, using a multilevel regression analysis.Findings indicate that individual and community contextual factors significantly explain individual and community variations in receiving postnatal care. Women from communities with high level of women’s education (OR=2.04; 95% CI=1.32-3.16; p<0.001) and hospital delivery (AOR=17.86; 95% CI=8.34-38.24; p<0.001) had higher likelihood of receiving postnatal care. Living in the western region of the country (AOR=1.46; 95% CI=0.95-2.25; p<0.001) was significantly associated with postnatal care. Findings suggest that interventions to increase the use of postnatal care services should target the uneducated, and those women who live in disadvantaged communities.