Determinants of non-institutional deliveries in Malawi, 2004

Martin Enoch Palamuleni, North-West University, South Africa
Natal Ayiga, Makerere University

Malawi has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world. This is partly due to non-use of health facilities during pregnancy and delivery. The aim of this study is to examine the factors associated with home deliveries in Malawi. Data from 2004 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey were used. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to assess the association between place of delivery and selected socio-economic factors. The study population comprised of 7,218 women, who had at least one child, aged less than five years, at the time the survey. Of these women, 58% delivered at a health facility, 29.4% delivered at home and 12.6% delivered at the home of a traditional birth attendant. After multivariate analysis, Region, place of residence, wealth status, education, number of prenatal visits and ever use of family showed significant association with home deliveries. Policy implications of the results are also discussed.