Factors associated with home delivery preference among pregnant women in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Home delivery is associated with a high risk of maternal and neonatal mortality. The prevalence and factors associated with home delivery have been studied retrospectively among women in Ethiopia. However, no national studies have assessed pregnant women's preferences for home delivery.

To assess factors associated with preferences for home delivery among pregnant women in Ethiopia.

We analysed a sample of 678 pregnant women derived from the 2019 performance monitoring for action cross-sectional survey. The association between pregnant women's preferences for home delivery and several individual, household, healthcare, and community factors were explored through log-Poisson regression with robust variance.

The weighted prevalence of pregnant women's preferences for home delivery in Ethiopia was 33%. Pregnant women between the ages of 15-19 years (PR = 2.3; 95% CI: 1.43-4.00) had a higher preference for home delivery compared to those above 34 years. Those who had no Antenatal care (ANC) visit in the current pregnancy (PR = 1.5; 95% CI: 1.11-2.11), multipara women (PR = 1.8; 95% CI: 1.19-2.92) those who did not discuss place of delivery with their partners (PR = 1.5; 95% CI: 1.18-2.10), did not participate in a community-based program called '1 to 5' network meetings (PR = 4.5; 95% CI: 1.09-18.95), and those who perceived low community support for facility delivery (PR = 2.2; 95% CI: 1.53-3.20) had a higher prevalence of home delivery preference compared to their references.

A significant proportion of pregnant women preferred home deliveries in Ethiopia. Household and community supporting factors such as not discussing place of delivery with a partner, not participating in women developmental army meetings, and perceived low community support were associated with preference for home delivery. Interventions should address these factors to increase facility deliveries in Ethiopia.