Full Knowledge Base
Religion and Use of Institutional Child Delivery Services: Individual and Contextual Pathways in Mozambique
Resource type
Authors/contributors
- Cau, Boaventura Manuel (Author)
- Agadjanian, Victor (Author)
Title
Religion and Use of Institutional Child Delivery Services: Individual and Contextual Pathways in Mozambique
Abstract
CONTEXT: Research on institutional child delivery in Sub-Saharan Africa typically focuses on availability and accessibility of health facilities. Cultural factors, including religion, that may facilitate or hinder the use of such services have not been well examined and remain poorly understood. METHODS: The relationship between religious affiliation and delivery in a health facility was explored using data from a household survey of 1,297 women aged 18-50 and a census of 825 religious congregations, both conducted in a predominantly Christian district in Mozambique in 2008. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were conducted to predict the likelihood of recent institutional delivery according to both individual religious affiliation and the concentration of religious congregations of certain denominations in the community of residence. RESULTS: Approximately 63% of deliveries occurred in a health facility. The odds of such deliveries were lower among women who belonged to Apostolic churches or had no religious affiliation than among members of Catholic or mainline Protestant churches, net of other factors (odds ratios, 0.5 and 0.6, respectively). In addition, regardless of a woman's religion, the odds that she had an institutional delivery increased by 9% for each additional Catholic or mainline Protestant congregation in her community of residence (1.1). CONCLUSIONS: Organized religion is associated with critical health outcomes in Mozambique and, potentially, in other Sub-Saharan African contexts. Policymakers should consider designing programs and interventions that promote the use of institutional delivery services among members of religious groups characterized by low use of these services and in areas where such religious groups have a strong presence.
Publication
International perspectives on sexual and reproductive health
Volume
45
Pages
35-43
Date
outubro 21, 2019
Journal Abbr
Int Perspect Sex Reprod Health
Language
eng
DOI
ISSN
1944-0405
Archive
PubMed
Loc. in Archive
31639079
Citation
Cau, B. M., & Agadjanian, V. (2019). Religion and Use of Institutional Child Delivery Services: Individual and Contextual Pathways in Mozambique. International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 45, 35–43. PubMed. https://doi.org/10.1363/45e7719
Themes / Temas
Sectors / Setores
Geography / Geografia
Link to this record