Abstract:
Background: - In Ethiopia Traditional Birth Attendants at home give delivery service to 28.4%, 29.4%, and 33.7% of mothers at national level, in rural set ups and in Oromia Region respectively, which is higher than delivery attended by Skilled Birth Attendants.
Objectives: - To assess the proportion of utilization of Traditional Birth Attendants and to identify associated factors to the utilization of Traditional Birth Attendants for delivery service among women who gave birth within past sixteen months preceding the study in Shashemene Woreda.
Methods: - A community based cross sectional study using a quantitative method was conducted in Shashemene Woreda among women who gave birth within the past sixteen months preceding the study. A multi stage sampling was used to identify a total of 605 sample size. Data was collected and entered into SPSS16 version.
Results: -A total of 520 (86%) women participated in this study. The proportion of utilization of Traditional Birth Attendants was 30.6%. Factors associated with utilization Traditional Birth Attendants were two to four gravid and five and more gravid [AOR=3.55 (95% CI=1.27, 9.95)] and [AOR=9.71 (95% CI=3.16,29.79)] respectively, absence of immediate obstetric complication during labor [AOR=4.66 (95% CI 2.01, 10.79)], husband and family last decision about the delivery attendant [AOR=0.59(95% CI 0.2,1.73)] and [AOR=0.21(95% CI 0.08,0.57)] respectively. Similarly, not knowledgeable about danger signs of labor [AOR=6.62(95%CI 1.94, 22.65)], negative attitude to home delivery service [AOR=3.29 (95% CI=1.32, 8.23)], positive attitudes to Traditional Birth Attendants delivery service [AOR= 2.65 (95% CI 1.1, 6.35)] were among factors associated with utilization of Traditional Birth Attendants.
Conclusions and recommendations: –There is higher utilization of Traditional Birth Attendants than Skilled Birth Attendants. Health education has to be given for women, husband and families/relatives of women. Empowering of disadvantaged women is needed. Programs and strategies developed to minimize utilization of TBAs for delivery service and to increase utilization of SBAs for delivery service has to include not only women alone but also husbands/partners, families/relatives and neighbors of women as a whole.
........................................ Thesis available at ACIPH