Abstract
Cross sectional data collected from rural and urban areas of Bangladesh to assess the pattern of utilisation of maternal care and the factors influencing it showed that about 58% of the adolescent mothers did not receive any maternal care during pregnancy. In multivariate logistic regression, the level of education of the mothers was significantly associated with antenatal care-seeking, but did not predict utilisation of delivery care. It was complications during delivery that compelled mothers to take care from qualified persons; otherwise they preferred delivery by non-qualified birth attendants. A variety of societal factors such as gender inequality and intra household power imbalance are likely to have been at work, which suggests that care providers and policy makers need to consider not only the resources of the health care system, but also knowledge and attitudes of women, their families, and the community.
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