Effect of Own Source Revenue-Funded Prenatal Care Services on Maternal Wellbeing in Makueni County, Kenya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47604/jpid.3854Keywords:
Own Source Revenue, Prenatal Care Services, Maternal Wellbeing, Maternal Health, Antenatal Care, Makueni County, KenyaAbstract
Purpose: The issue of maternal health continues to be a public health problem in Kenya regardless of the continuous efforts being made to enhance maternal health care services. Antenatal care services are some of the essential interventions that can help reduce maternal health risks and ensure positive maternal outcomes. The Own Source Revenue (OSR) has been widely used to fund maternal health care services in Makueni County. However, limited empirical evidence exists on the contribution of OSR-funded prenatal care services to maternal wellbeing. This study sought to examine the effect of Own Source Revenue-funded prenatal care services on maternal wellbeing in Makueni County, Kenya.
Methodology: The study was guided by the Women in Development Theory and Feminist Theory and adopted a mixed-methods research approach. A descriptive cross-sectional research design was employed. The target population comprised 12,460 mothers attending maternal healthcare services at Makueni County Mother and Child Hospital, Makindu Sub-County Hospital, Kibwezi Sub-County Hospital, and Tawa Sub-County Hospital. The sample size used for the study involved 388 participants chosen randomly using stratified and systematic sampling approaches while purposive sampling method was employed in selecting key informants. The research data was gathered using questionnaires and key informant interviews. The quantitative data collected was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical methods while qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis approach. From the results obtained, it is evident that Own Source Revenue-funded prenatal care services greatly impacted on mothers’ welfare.
Findings: The majority of the respondents indicated that prenatal care services increased access to antenatal services through scheduling reminders and appointments (M=3.47, SD=1.44). Also, from the results, affordability of prenatal care services positively affected the use of these services although transport costs and financial constraints in some households posed a challenge to some of the mothers (M=3.13, SD=1.48). Moreover, the availability of qualified health personnel, medical supplies, equipment, and diagnostic services made the prenatal care services better. There was a positive and significant relationship between maternal well-being and prenatal care services through correlation analysis. Moreover, regression analysis revealed that prenatal care services were positively and statistically significant predictors of maternal well-being (β = 0.275, p< 0.05). This was because prenatal care services were the best predictors of maternal well-being from all other components of maternal health services. This research has found that prenatal care services supported by OWR have positively contributed to the improvement of maternal well-being due to availability, affordability, and accessibility of maternal health services.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: This research recommends that there should be more county investments in antenatal care services.
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