Rural-urban differences in distributions and determinants of facility delivery among women in Bangladesh

Introduction

The utilization of facility delivery is crucial to achieve sustainable development goals by reducing maternal and neonatal deaths. This study aimed to compare the distributions and determinants of childbirth in health facilities in urban and rural regions of Bangladesh.

Methods

Cross-sectional data from the 2017‒2018 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey were analyzed. Multilevel logistic regression was applied.

Results

A total of 4 751 women were included in the analyses. Only 50% of childbirths took place in health facilities, 63.4% and 44.6% in urban and rural regions, respectively. Overall, the odds of the association between facility delivery and the studied factors were similar. Multiparous women had significantly lower odds of facility delivery in both rural (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.3, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.2 to 0.5) and urban (AOR = 0.2, 95% CI: 0.1 to 0.5) regions. In both regions, women with higher education levels, highly educated husbands, antenatal care (ANC), and higher wealth indexes had significantly higher odds of facility delivery.

Conclusion

Several common associated factors were identified. However, differences were observed regarding distributions of these factors. The differences in facility delivery utilization could result from lower ANC utilization, socioeconomic status, and transportation facilities in rural regions than urban regions; therefore, improving these conditions could increase facility delivery in these regions.