SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS INFLUENCING THE UTILIZATION OF MATERNAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES IN AMUWO-ODOFIN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

The use of maternal healthcare services reduces maternal mortality, which is unimaginably high in Nigeria. Therefore, this study investigates the socio-economic factors influencing the utilization of maternal healthcare services in Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos state, Nigeria. Each of the socioeconomic factors of women and their spouses which include: income, occupation, education and culture were examined. Primary data was gathered through administration of questionnaires in the study. A total sample size of 230 respondents was selected. The univariate, bivariate, chi-square test and Analyses of variance (ANOVA) were employed in order to identify the influence of socio-economic variables on the use of maternal health care services in the study. Findings from Chi-square analyses depict that respondents’ income (p=0.000), culture (p=0.000) and educational status (p=0.000) have significant influences on the use of maternal healthcare services in the study. Further results from one-way ANOVA reveal that respondents’ occupational status (p=0.011) has significant influence on the use of maternal healthcare services in the study. Therefore, this study recommends that the government should channel more of her resources and attention to ensuring a more sustainable growth of women’s socio-economic status in Nigerian society.