UTILIZATION OF REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH-SERVICES IN RURAL VIETNAM - ARE THERE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES TO PLAN AND PROTECT PREGNANCIES

Study objectives - To describe the utilisation of reproductive health services (family planning, antenatal care, and delivery services) and the socioeconomic determinants for utilisation of health services. Des ign - This was a cross sectional survey, using a multistage sampling t echnique. Setting - Tien Hai district, Thai Binh Province, Vietnam. Al together 1132 mothers with children under 5 years of age were intervie wed about antenatal, delivery, and family planning services utilisatio n during a five year period (1987-92). Main results - Seventy per cent of the women used contraceptive methods, with the intrauterine device being the most common. The use of the intrauterine device was positiv ely associated with the number of children alive but not with other so ciodemographic in the factors mothers. Thirty per cent of the women ha d attended an antenatal clinic for check ups during their last pregnan cy. It was found that mothers with fewer deliveries, higher education, and who were Buddhist or of no religion had utilised antenatal servic es more frequently than the others. Seventy five per cent of the mothe rs in this study had been assisted by health professionals at their la st delivery. Those mothers with fewer deliveries, higher education, wh o were Buddhist or had no religion, and had sufficient to eat were mor e likely to have their births attended by health professionals. Conclu sions - In spite of a relatively high education level in the populatio n and services which are generally available, there was an under utili sation of antenatal and delivery care and there was no equal opportuni ty for different groups of mothers to use these services. Family plann ing services were, however, frequently used and were used to the same extent by different groups of mothers. Except for abortion, alternativ es to the intrauterine device method were rarely available. If pregnan cies are to be protected in an efficient way in rural Vietnam, reprodu ctive care must be strengthened and should be made to reach the women who are not casing these services at present.