Determinants of Maternal Health Care Utilization in the Philippines: Implications on Information Dissemination Strategies
Abstract
From 2000 to 2017, maternal deaths in the Philippines considerably decreased. With COVID-19, the mechanisms to ensure safe pregnancy and childbirth for mothers have been greatly challenged. To find possible means by which women can access health care services remotely, the study looked into the factors affecting Filipino women’s utilization of maternal health care services using the 2017 Philippine National Demographic and Health Survey. Place of residence and employment status significantly affect the frequency by which women read newspaper or magazine, listen to the radio, and access the internet. Wealth status is the sole socio-demographic characteristic that has significant relationship to all the maternal health care indicators. Frequency in using the internet is the only exposure to mass media that was found to positively affect Filipino women’s maternal health care use, i.e., from pregnancy, childbirth, to postnatal. The odds of following the recommended maternal health care services increase as the frequency of using the internet increases. There is therefore a need for the government to maximize the use of the internet by enhancing connectivity of and providing internet-ready gadgets to government hospitals, barangay health centers, and rural health units to reach women who are in need of utmost maternal health care services especially during a pandemic when there is limited movement and access to and from health care facilities.
