Empirical Analysis of Maternal Health Service Utilisation and Its Socioeconomic Determinants in Benue State

Maternal health service utilisation is the primary modifiable determinant of maternal mortality, and empirically characterising the socioeconomic determinants of service use in Benue State provides evidence for demand-side programme design. This study empirically examined the determinants of maternal health service utilisation (antenatal care completion, skilled birth attendance, and postnatal care) among 840 women who delivered in the preceding two years in Gboko, Katsina-Ala, and Vandeikya Local Government Areas, Benue State. Binary logistic regression was applied for each service utilisation outcome, controlling for wealth, education, distance, parity, and health insurance. The four-visit ANC completion rate was 47.3 percent, skilled birth attendance was 54.7 percent, and postnatal care attendance was 38.2 percent. Wealth was the strongest predictor of skilled birth attendance (OR = 4.8 for highest versus lowest quintile, p < 0.001). Education significantly predicted ANC completion (OR = 3.1 for secondary versus none, p < 0.001). Distance above 10 kilometres reduced all three utilisation outcomes significantly. NHIA enrolment had the largest positive effect on postnatal care uptake (OR = 3.4, p < 0.001). The study fills an empirical gap in Benue State maternal health utilisation research and recommends economic barrier removal through NHIA expansion, free maternal health services for the poorest wealth quintiles, and community midwifery deployment to reduce geographic barriers in Benue's rural LGAs. Keywords: maternal health utilisation, Benue State, socioeconomic determinants, antenatal care, skilled birth attendance