Status Of Maternal and Child Health and Services Utilization Patterns in The Urban Slums of Bhopal, India

Abstract

Introduction: Women in Asia face constraint in obtaining health services but also in expressing reproductive health needs.

Methodology: It was a community based cross sectional study.

Observation: According to antenatal care Government hospital was an important source of antenatal services in both areas. Most of ANC (90%) services utilized by mothers through government hospital and 6% through private hospital. In both areas 86.49% deliveries were conducted at home. Deliveries conducted at govt. hospitals were higher 10% than private hospitals 3.60%. Majority of deliveries were conducted by untrained Dai (63.33%) at home in both the areas. Services received by them during Post natal period at home, majority by health worker 35(46.05%) followed by government hospitals 28(36.84%) and private hospital 13(17.10%). Out of total 790 under five children 278(35.2%) were fully immunized, 381(48.2%) partially and 131(16.4%) had unknown status. Nutritional deficiency Anaemia was more common between 0-1 years of age was (29.9%) followed by vitamin B deficiency (2.1%).  1-5 years of age Vitamin B deficiency was (4.9%), vitamin A (4.6%), vitamin D(1.9%) and vitamin C (0.99%) found in both areas. Malnutrition according to Gomez classification (23.6%) of male children were road to health, (31%) had grade I, (22.1%) grade II, and (23.4%) grade III malnutrition and  female children (24.9%) was grade I, (23.2%) grade II, and (22.7%) grade III. Overall prevalence of grade III malnutrition was (22.5%), no significant difference (standard error of proportion=SEP=6.33, P>0.05) was found in both gender.

Conclusion: During pregnancy maximum antenatal mothers utilized antenatal care services through govt. Hospitals; postnatal care was poor in both areas of Bhopal urban slum. Nutritional anaemia was common problem (35.44%) in both areas among under five children.