Investigating the Relationship Between Women Status and Utilization of Maternal/Child Services and Family Planning Methods in Turkey

Authors : Yunus Başboğa, Yusuf Çelik

Pages : 1-14

View : 66 | Download : 56

Publication Date : 2023-12-25

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study aimed to investigate the relationship between women status and the use of maternal/child health services and family planning methods (MCH-FP). Data of 1349 women and their babies from the 2013 Turkey Demographic and Health Survey was used in the study. The women’s opinions on gender, their husbands’ behaviors to control women, and physical violence against women were used to construct the variable indicating overall women satus while the use of prenatal care during pregnancy, delivery assistance from health care professionals, and family planning method were used as indicators for MCH-FP services. The results revealed that education level of women and their husbands, household wealth and residential area were found to be significant variables having effect on women status, and there was positive relationship between increasing women status and higher rate of using MCH-FP services. Based on these results, this study concludes that more appropriate policies in empowering women should be developed and implemented to increase women status if Turkey wants to decrease unexpected early newborn deaths and improve mothers and their newborn health status by enabling pregnant women to use more maternal and child health services and modern family planning methods.
Keywords : Kadın statüsü, ana ve çocuk sağlığı, aile planlaması, Women status, maternal and child health, family planning