Ekta Saroha, MA, DrPH, is a Research Assistant at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health, Birmingham, AL. She assists with international health research projects that address the health care needs of women and children.
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Caste and Maternal Health Care Service Use Among Rural Hindu Women in Maitha, Uttar Pradesh, India
Article first published online: 24 DEC 2010
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmwh.2008.05.002
2008 American College of Nurse Midwives
Issue
1542-2011/asset/cover.gif?v=1&s=16a9a18cbc368a51a4895fee3bc7f683ae97a0fa "Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health")
Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health
Volume 53, Issue 5, pages e41–e47, September-October 2008
Additional Information
How to Cite
Saroha, E., Altarac, M. and Sibley, L. M. (2008), Caste and Maternal Health Care Service Use Among Rural Hindu Women in Maitha, Uttar Pradesh, India. Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, 53: e41–e47. doi: 10.1016/j.jmwh.2008.05.002
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Ekta Saroha, MA, DrPH, is a Research Assistant at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health, Birmingham, AL. She assists with international health research projects that address the health care needs of women and children.
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Maja Altarac, MD, PhD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Maternal and Child Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health, Birmingham, AL.
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Lynn M. Sibley, CNM, PhD, FACNM, is Associate Clinical Professor and Academic Director of the Lillian Carter Center for International Nursing, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.
Publication History
- Issue published online: 24 DEC 2010
- Article first published online: 24 DEC 2010
- Abstract
- Article
- References
- Cited By
Keywords:
- caste;
- Hindu;
- rural;
- India;
- maternal health care services
The objective of this study was to examine the association between caste and maternal health care service use among rural Hindu women in India. We analyzed data from the Morbidity and Performance Assessment, a population-based cross-sectional study, for 482 Hindu women who were pregnant during January 1998 to January 1999 in Maitha, Uttar Pradesh, India. Maternal health care service use among both upper and lower caste women was very low. Upper caste women were almost three times more likely to use antenatal care (odds ratio [OR] = 2.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.40–5.30), tetanus toxoid (OR = 2.50; 95% CI, 1.48–4.21), and contraceptives (OR = 2.66; 95% CI, 1.28–5.54) and almost five times (OR = 4.77; 95% CI, 1.81–12.54) more likely to have a trained birth attendant compared to the lower caste women. Caste was a significant determinant of tetanus toxoid use and trained birth attendant even after adjusting for sociodemographic factors. Besides caste, maternal literacy was the one sociodemographic factor that was significantly associated with the use of all maternal health care services. Information dissemination and awareness generation can improve the use of subsidized maternal health care services among women of all caste groups.