Multiple Vulnerabilities in Access to and Utilising of Maternal and Child Health Services in India: A Spatial-Regional Analysis

Introduction Although there are multiple vulnerabilities in the utilisation of maternal and child health (MCH) services in India, research has always been focused on single-dimension vulnerabilities like economic or social vulnerabilities. Individuals who are poor may also face other types of vulnerabilities that together affect access to health services. This article, therefore, investigates the linkages between multiple vulnerabilities and the utilisation of MCH care services. Materials and Methods Data from National Family Health Survey (2015-2016) for India and states were used for analysing the key outcome variables namely women received four or more antenatal care (ANC), institutional delivery, postnatal care (PNC) and full immunisation for children in the age group of 12-23 months. Bivariate analysis and binomial-logistic regression analysis were employed to examine the multiple vulnerabilities on utilising MCH services across three dimensions of vulnerabilities, such as education, wealth and caste. Results Women with multiple vulnerabilities were less likely to utilise essential MCH services. Women who faced vulnerabilities in all three dimensions were less likely to have received four or more ANC and postnatal care than those who were not deprived of any vulnerabilities (0.3 vs. 0.9 and 0.4 vs. 0.8, respectively). They were also less likely to deliver in health facilities and avail child immunisation (0.5 vs. 0.8 and 0.3 vs. 0.7, respectively). Conclusion A multi-sectoral approach is therefore required to deal with the issues of low access and underutilisation of MCH services.