University of Gondar Reports Findings in Science (Married women decision making autonomy on health care utilization in high fertility sub-Saharan African countries: A multilevel analysis of recent Demographic and Health Survey): Science

2023 JUL 28 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- New research on Science is the subject of a report. According to news reporting out of Gondar, Ethiopia, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “Women’s decision-making autonomy has a potential impact on the scale-up of health care utilization. In high fertility countries, evidence regarding women’s decision-making autonomy on their health care utilization and its associated factors is limited and inconclusive.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the University of Gondar, “Hence, it is important to investigate women decision-making autonomy on their health care utilization and associated factors in high fertility countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The data source for this study was obtained from recent Demographic and Health Surveys that were comprised of a weighted sample of 178875 reproductive age women. A multilevel mixed-effect binary logistic regression model was fitted. The odds ratios, along with the 95% confidence interval were generated to identify individual and community-level factors associated with women’s autonomy in health care decision-making. A p-value less than 0.05 was declared as statistical significance. In this study, 42% (95% CI: 41.7, 42.3) of women were able to exercise their reproductive autonomy. The highest (74.8%) and the lowest (19.74%) magnitude of women autonomy was found in Angola and Mali, respectively. In multilevel analysis; age of women 25-34 years, 35 and above (AOR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.29, 1.39), and (AOR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.75, 1.90), women’s primary and secondary educational level (AOR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.20, 1.31), and (AOR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.32, 1.54), husband primary and secondary educational level (AOR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.18, 1.29), and (AOR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.15, 1.27), women who had work (AOR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.59, 1.74) female household heads (AOR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.37, 1.51), media exposure (AOR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.18), health insurance coverage (AOR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.17, 1.36), urban residence (AOR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.19), community education (AOR = 2.43, 95% CI: 2.07, 2.85) and low community poverty level (AOR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.49) were predictor variables. Although every woman has the right to make her own health care decisions, this study showed that almost 58% of them had no role in making decisions about their health care utilization.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Thus, each country Government should support women’s decision making autonomy regarding their healthcare utilization through mass media and extensive behavioral education.”

For more information on this research see: Married women decision making autonomy on health care utilization in high fertility sub-Saharan African countries: A multilevel analysis of recent Demographic and Health Survey. PLOS ONE, 2023;18(7). PLOS ONE can be contacted at: Public Library Science, 1160 Battery Street, Ste 100, San Francisco, CA 94111, USA. (Public Library of Science - www.plos.org; PLOS ONE - www.plosone.org)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Getachew Teshale Kefale, Dept. of Health Systems and Policy, Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia. Additional authors for this research include Wubshet Debebe Negash, Tadele Biresaw Belachew and Desale Bihonegn Asmamaw.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0288603. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

Publisher contact information for the journal PLOS ONE is: Public Library Science, 1160 Battery Street, Ste 100, San Francisco, CA 94111, USA.

(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)