Is delivery with no one present linked to other health care risks across the maternal and child health continuum in northwest zone of Nigeria? clues from the demographic and health survey

Abstract

Information is scarce on how women who delivered with no one present (NOP) have fared in the continuum of care through the first 1000 days after birth. This study examines whether women who deliver with NOP were more likely to underutilize other MNCH services compared to women who delivered with attendants. This question was assessed in a sample of 5,619 currently married women aged 15-19 years, resident in the Northwest Zone of Nigeria who have had at least a live birth. The sample was obtained from the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS). The study revealed that women that delivered with NOP were also likely to significantly underutilize MNCH services across the continuum of care. To accelerate progress in MNCH outcomes in Nigeria, it is recommended that policy and program efforts be designed to address the underlying drivers of inequality in access to MNCH care.