Differences in Health Seeking Behaviour among Urban Poor Women in Nairobi Who Experienced Intended or Unintended Pregnancies

Teresa V. Saliku, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)

The objective of this paper is to illustrate differences in health seeking behaviour among urban poor women who had intended or unintended pregnancies. This paper uses data from a nested survey in the Nairobi Urban Health and Demographic Surveillance System (NUHDSS) done in two informal settlements of Nairobi, namely Korogocho and Viwandani. A total of 1927 women aged 12-54 who had a pregnancy outcome in 2004 and 2005 were sampled. Using logistic regression, the paper explores differences in seeking antenatal services and delivery care among women with intended or unintended pregnancies. Preliminary results suggest that women with unintended pregnancies (31%) were more likely to seek care from unqualified personnel for antenatal and delivery care compared to those who wanted the pregnancies (69%). In addition, women with unintended pregnancies had fewer visits for antenatal care; however, they initiated these visits much earlier compared to those women who had intended pregnancies.