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BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
Published in:

Open Access 01-12-2023 | Research

The effects of spousal migration on perinatal healthcare utilization

Authors: Angubeen Gul Khan, Heidi West, Abdur Razzaque, Randall Kuhn

Published in: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth | Issue 1/2023

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Abstract

Over the last three decades, out-migration has become a stable source of income for more than 12 million Bangladeshis. Of those migrants, 90% are men. Due to patriarchal cultural norms in Bangladeshi society, the migration of a male spouse may have significant consequences for the social well-being and health of left-behind women. In this study, we examine the impact of external (out of country) and internal (rural to urban) spousal migration on the perinatal healthcare utilization of left-behind women. We used data from the 2012 Matlab Health and Socioeconomic Survey (MHSS2) to examine use of antenatal care, presence of a medically qualified attendant at birth, and delivery at a healthcare facility for live births that occurred between 2007 and 2014 for currently married women aged 15-45 (N = 1,458 births among 1,180 women). Adjusted regression models indicated that for births occurring to women with a migrant spouse, odds of receiving antenatal care were significantly higher (OR: 4.1 for births to women with a domestic urban migrant spouse and 4.6 for births to women with an international migrant spouse, p < 0.01). Spousal migration was not linked to having a medically qualified attendant at birth or delivery at a clinic or hospital. Results suggest that spousal migration may be beneficial for receiving health care during a pregnancy, but not for the type of attendant or place of delivery at birth.
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Metadata
Title
The effects of spousal migration on perinatal healthcare utilization
Authors
Angubeen Gul Khan
Heidi West
Abdur Razzaque
Randall Kuhn
Publication date
01-12-2023
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth / Issue 1/2023
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2393
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-023-05590-w

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