FACTORS AFFECTING THE CHOICE OF MATERNAL HEALTH SERVICES IN SAUDI ARABIA.
ABSTRACT
Objectives: This study examinesfactors affecting the choice ofmaternal health services in Port SaidCity.Methods: A house-to-house surveyof 225 women in Port Said City, anortheastern Egyptian city located200 kilometers from Cairo thecapital of Egypt, was carried outto determine the maternal factorsassociated with this choice. Thevariables examined included age,duration of marriage, education,occupation, income, parity,husband’s education, and livingdistance from the health service.Results: The analysis showedthat socioeconomic status of thefamily, distance from the healthservice, occupation and educationof the mother were the strongestdeterminants of the choice ofmaternal health service used,respectively.Conclusion: In conclusion, theimportance of family income,mother’s occupation and educationas strong discriminating factors ofthe choice of MCH services, foundin this study deserves to be furtherconsidered. The younger and moreeducated mothers who utilized theprivate MCH services should beapproached to further investigatethe reasons for such choice.The availability and accessibilityof these services, coupled withhealth education programs, couldhave contributed greatly to such apractice.