Journal article
Couples’ reports of household decision-making and the utilization of maternal health services in Bangladesh
Social science & medicine (1982), Vol.75(12), pp.2403-2411
12/2012
DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.09.017
PMCID: PMC3523098
PMID: 23068556
Abstract
This study examines the association between maternal health service utilization and household decision-making in Bangladesh. Most studies of the predictors of reproductive health service utilization focus on women’s reports; however, men are often involved in these decisions as well. Recently, studies have started to explore the association between health outcomes and reports of household decision-making from both husbands and wives as matched pairs. Many studies of household decision-making emphasize the importance of the wife alone making decisions; however, some have argued that joint decision-making between husbands and wives may yield better reproductive health outcomes than women making decisions without input or agreement from their partners. Husbands’ involvement in decision-making is particularly important in Bangladesh because men often dominate household decisions related to large, health-related purchases. We use matched husband and wife reports about who makes common household decisions to predict use of antenatal and skilled delivery care, using data from the 2007 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. Results from regression analyses suggest that it is important to consider whether husbands and wives give concordant responses about who makes household decisions since discordant reports about who makes these decisions are negatively associated with reproductive health care use. In addition, compared to joint decision-making, husband-only decision-making is negatively associated with antenatal care use and skilled delivery care. Finally, associations between household decision-making arrangements and health service utilization vary depending on whose report is used and the type of health service utilized.
► Discordant reports about who makes household decisions resulted in lower health care use compared to joint decision-making. ► Associations between decision-making arrangements and health service use were stronger for antenatal than delivery care. ► The associations increase in magnitude when using couples’ reports compared to using husbands’ or wives’ reports alone. ► Interviewing both men and women provides valuable information available in concordant and discordant reports.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Couples’ reports of household decision-making and the utilization of maternal health services in Bangladesh
- Creators
- William T Story - Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, USASarah A Burgard - Department of Sociology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1382, USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Social science & medicine (1982), Vol.75(12), pp.2403-2411
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.09.017
- PMID
- 23068556
- PMCID
- PMC3523098
- NLM abbreviation
- Soc Sci Med
- ISSN
- 0277-9536
- eISSN
- 1873-5347
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- Grant note
- name: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Predoctoral Training Grant; name: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, award: R24 HD041028
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 12/2012
- Academic Unit
- Community and Behavioral Health
- Record Identifier
- 9984214840302771
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