Abstract:
Back ground: Pregnancy and child birth related complications are unpredictable; however it is
preventable by timely referrals to obstetric care service. The difference between life and death in
obstetrics might be a matter of timely arrival and management.
Objective: To asses delay for institutional delivery service utilization and associated factors
among mothers attending Jimma university medical center, Jimma town south west Ethiopia.
Method: Facility based cross sectional study design was employed. Sample size was determined
by single population proportion formula. Data were collected from 405 mothers by face to face
interview using a pretested structured questionnaire and entered using epi-data version 3.1,
exported to SPSS version 23 for analysis. The data was presented using texts, graphs and tables.
A multivariable logistic regression analyses was done to identify independent predictors of delay
for institutional delivery service utilization.
Result: A total of 405 mothers were participated in this study. The prevalence of delay for
institutional delivery service utilization was 289(71.4%). The odds of mothers with illiterate
husbands to have delay was more than five folds compared to those who do have literate
husband (AOR: 5.56[2.64-11.71]). Similarly, mothers with low financial decision making power,
those who purchase medical supply for getting service had shown higher odds delay (AOR:
2.59[1.23-5.44]), (AOR:1.86[1.03-3.34]) respectively. Moreover, poor knowledge of mothers on
danger sign and birth preparedness, those who travelled longer distance to access health care,
those who face problem in accessing health facility and in receiving were found to have higher
but varying odds of delay.
Conclusion and recommendation: Majority of study participants were delayed for institutional
delivery service utilization. Typical factors such as husbands educational status, decision making
power on money expense, knowledge of mothers on danger sign and birth preparedness,
distance, purchasing medical supply for getting service, encounter problem for the accessibility
of health facility, encounter problem in receiving care at health facility still remained predictors
of delay. Therefore it is important reducing delay for institutional delivery service utilization by
working on the predictors of maternal delay.
