Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health

 

Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here for more information

Click here to sign up for SAGE Journal Email Alerts today!

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Phoxay, C.
Right arrow Articles by Wakai, S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Phoxay, C.
Right arrow Articles by Wakai, S.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, Vol. 13, No. 1, 13-19 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/101053950101300104

Influence of Women's Knowledge on Maternal Health Care Utilization in Southern Laos

Chandavone Phoxay, MD

Department of International Community Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo

Junko Okumura, MPH, PhD

Department of International Community Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo

Yasuhide Nakamura, MD, PhD

Department of International Collaboration, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University

Susumu Wakai, MD, PhD

Department of International Community Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, swakai{at}m.u-tokyo.ac.jp

This study aims to clarify women's knowledge on obstetric care and to analyse the situation of maternal health care (MHC) utilization in southern Laos. Face to face structured questionnaire and focus group discussions were carried out for 205 mothers aged 29.6 ± 6.7 who had children under the age of five. Three measurements of MHC utilization comprised: 1) antenatal care (ANC), 2) tetanus toxoid (TT) inoculation, and 3) attendance delivery by health professional. Women's knowledge on obstetric care was scored. Women's knowledge was positively correlated with ANC and TT inoculation. It was found that the women with strong superstitious belief were less likely to utilize all three types of MHC than the others. Accessibility to health care facilities strongly affected ANC and attendance delivery. Enhancing women's knowledge on obstetric care and reducing barriers related with sociocultural beliefs are essential to improving maternal health in southern Laos. Asia Pac J Public Health 2001;13(1):13-19

Key Words: Women • knowledge • behaviour • maternal health care utilization • Laos.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?