Which Factors Affect Probability of Women Using Prenatal Care? The Case of Bangladesh

Abstract

This paper determines the probability of women in Bangladesh taking prenatal care based on changes in socioeconomic and health-related variables. Insight into factors affecting prenatal care usage will help policy-makers redirect health-related strategies and policies in more equitable directions. We used a total of 1,099 cross-sectional observations from Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (2000) to estimate a logistic regression model. Our results show that education and income is positively associated with odds of women taking prenatal care while increase in age reduces odds of taking this service. We end by making several policy-relevant recommendations.