Awareness, accessibility and utilization of maternal and child services among mothers in selected barangays in Iloilo

Abstract

The overall well-being of the community is defined by the quality of maternal and child health services as one of its indicators in development. Globally, maternal and child health has remained a critical concern in terms of increasing intervention in accessibility and awareness. The study “Awareness, Accessibility and Utilization of Maternal and Child Services among Mothers in a Selected Barangay in Iloilo”, aimed to assess the level of awareness, accessibility, and utilization of maternal and child health services among mothers residing in a selected barangay in Iloilo and to determine the relationship between awareness to utilization and accessibility to utilization. A descriptive-correlational survey research design was employed, using survey questionnaire validated by 2 professors of the college of nursing in one institution in Iloilo City and a Nurse 1 from a rural health unit. Data were gathered face-to-face from the population of 56 women of reproductive age (15-49 years old) with children aged 0-59 months. Purposive sampling was used. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the level of awareness, accessibility, and utilization. Spearman's rho was used to determine the correlations between awareness and utilization, and between accessibility and utilization, with a significance level set at 0.05. The results revealed generally high levels of awareness, accessibility and utilization of key services, particularly maternal check-ups and child immunizations. Level of awareness significantly influences the level of utilization of maternal and child health services. Level of accessibility also significantly influences the level of utilization of maternal and child services.