Ethiopian Journal of Reproductive Health; 16 (3), 2024
Publication year: 2024
BACKGROUND:
In Ethiopia, most maternity waiting homes lack government funding and rely on community contributions. However, the willingness of households to pay for nutrition services has not been widely studied. This study aimed to determine the maximum households’ willingness to pay for nutrition services at maternity waiting homes and its associated factors in the East Wollega Zone of Oromia National Regional State, Ethiopia.
METHODOLOGY:
A community-based cross-sectional study using a double-bounded dichotomous choice contingent valuation method was conducted on 845 households. Data were entered using Epi-Data version 3.1 and analyzed with SPSS for Windows version 20. Binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. Explanatory variables with p-values less than 0.05 at a 95% confidence level were reported as significantly associated with the outcome variable using an adjusted odds ratio and confidence interval. RESULTS:
The annual median maximum willingness to pay was 15 ETB (US$0.55) per household. Marital status (AOR = 3.533, 95% CI = 1.007-12.39, p-value = 0.05) and average monthly income (AOR = 3.287, 95% CI = 1.194-9.049, p-value = 0.04) were significant factors. Additionally, distance from the health facility (AOR = 3.64,
95% CI = 1.256-10.55, p-value = 0.03), availability of food (AOR = 3.714, 95% CI = 1.331-10.364, p-value = 0.05), sufficient bedding (AOR = 5.353, 95% CI = 2.207-13.010, p-value = 0.001), and cooking utensils (AOR = 4.044, 95% CI = 1.353-12.088, p-value = 0.05) at the housing facility were predictors.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION:
The households’ maximum willingness to pay for nutrition services at maternity waiting homes is relatively high. Demographic, socioeconomic, and institutional factors influenced households’ willingness to pay. Health facility managers should ensure necessary utensils are available at maternity waiting homes to sustain the provision and utilization of services.