Pregnancy complications among currently married women in India: A Regional comparison

Poor maternal health remains a major reproductive health concern in developing countries, despite perceptible strides being made to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. India has implemented the reproductive and child health (RCH) programmes after the ICPD (1994) at Cairo, which reiterated the need for health care services to enable women to go safely through pregnancy and child birth using Indian National Family and Health Survey-3 (2005-06). Results found that health complications by women vary hugely by region, ranging from 57% in East to 28% in South. Odds ratios indicate health complications is four times higher in the East compared to South (p<0.01). Women in rural areas reported more complications than those in urban areas (p<0.05). Uneducated and poorer women reported more complications compared to educated and richer women, with odds ratios of 20% higher. Women receiving ANC services also indicate lower health complications compared to women not availing ANC services (p<0.01). Analysis clearly signifies the impact of socio-economic, cultural and demographic factors on maternal health, particularly across the regions. Specific regional maternal health programmes that account for the diverse socio-cultural and demographic characteristics are essential to mitigate the regional disparity.