Abstract:
Background: Institutional delivery service utilization is critical in prevention of maternal death.
However proportion of women utilizing Institutional delivery service in country in general and in
southern nation in particular is very low. Reduction of maternal death is global priority particularly in
developing countries including Ethiopia, where maternal mortality is one of the highest in the w orld.
Low institutional delivery utilization in pastoralist areas of Ethiopia caused by different factors.
Objective ፡ To assess institutional delivery utilization and associated factors among mothers who gave
birth in the last two years in pastoralist , Hammer woreda, south omo zone, Ethiopia.
Methods: Communities based cross sectional study with internal comparison were conducted . The
study were conducted from December /2014 to January /2015.All women residing in the area at least for
five months and who had delivered in the last two years were included in the study.
Result: Only 23.4% of the mothers gave birth to their last baby in the health facility. Residential set
up[AOR=2.485, 95%CI: 1.325,4.659], maternal education[AOR=0.23795%CI: (0.09,0.622)], age at first
pregnancy[AOR=1.83 95%CI: 0.77,4.348], ANC follow up[AOR=0.062, 95%CI: 0.019,0.201].and total
number of live birth [AOR=22.395%CI: (2.75,181.59)] had significant associations with institutional
delivery service utilization(p<0.5).
Conclusion and recommendation: Institutional Delivery is low. There is need to recognize the factors
hindering institutional delivery and work on it improving the situation otherwise with such high birth
attended unskilled personnel our maternal mortality will remain one of the highest.
