Abstract

Objective: To determine an association of women's education with the utilization of maternal health care services and identify barriers in maternal education attainment.
Methodology: This comparative study was conducted on reproductive-aged women in Gynecology OPD and Wards of two Private Teaching Hospitals in Peshawar from 1st December 2018 to 30th March, 2019. The sample of 452 was recruited through a convenient sampling technique with equal division into literate and illiterate. A validated structured questionnaire was used for in-person interviews. The data were analyzed using SPSS Version 21. An association of maternal education with health-seeking behaviors was assessed through a chi-square test with a significance level of 0.05.
Results: Among all women, 30-39 years comprised the highest (45.8 %) followed by 20-29 years (33.8 %). Literate women were 49% with 33.4 % with a tertiary level of education whereas 51% were ill-literate. The most important barrier to attaining education was permission denied by parents. Among the 39% of ill-literate women were devoid of a single dose of tetanus toxoid as compared to 15.2% of literate. Similarly, 58% of ill-literate females had 5 or more children and only 20% ill-literate females had 2 post-partum visits.
Conclusion: Maternal education is significantly associated with the utilization of maternal health services.

Key words: Health care system, health seeking behavior, maternal services, maternal education.