Table 1.
Changes in percentage of skilled birth attendants in the five years preceding the survey, 1998–2008, Ghana
| Characteristics | GDHS2003 (1998–2003) | GDHS2008 (2003–2008) | Proportion of gap closed 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of birth (% of Total) | Percentage of skilled birth attendants 1 (A) | Number of birth (% of Total) | Percentage of skilled birth attendants 1 (B) | ||
| Maternal age | |||||
| <20 | 411 (11.3) | 48.4 | 333 (11.4) | 52.2 | 7.4 |
| 20-34 | 2,507 (68.9) | 47.7 | 2,079 (71.5) | 60.6 | 24.7 |
| 35-49 | 720 (19.8) | 44.0 | 497 (17.1) | 54.9 | 19.5 |
| Birth order | |||||
| 1 | 820 (22.5) | 59.9 | 688 (23.7) | 70.7 | 26.9 |
| 2-3 | 1,271 (34.9) | 48.2 | 1,107 (38.1) | 60.6 | 23.9 |
| 4-5 | 822 (22.6) | 41.6 | 659 (22.7) | 53.8 | 20.9 |
| 6+ | 726 (20.0) | 36.8 | 455 (15.6) | 42.6 | 9.2 |
| Mother’s education | |||||
| None | 1,466 (40.3) | 29.7 | 952 (32.7) | 36.3 | 9.4 |
| Primary | 843 (23.2) | 44.4 | 722 (24.8) | 54.6 | 18.3 |
| Middle/JHS* | 1,139 (31.3) | 64.3 | 970 (33.4) | 74.4 | 28.3 |
| Secondary+ | 191 (5.2) | 89.4 | 263 (9.1) | 92.4 | 28.3 |
| Wealth Index | |||||
| Poorest | 941 (25.9) | 20.6 | 744 (25.6) | 24.2 | 4.5 |
| Second | 809 (22.2) | 31.9 | 641 (22.0) | 50.0 | 26.6 |
| Middle | 721 (19.8) | 43.3 | 549 (18.9) | 64.8 | 37.9 |
| Fourth | 617 (17.0) | 73.1 | 560 (19.3) | 81.7 | 32.0 |
| Richest | 551 (15.1) | 90.4 | 415 (14.3) | 94.6 | 43.8 |
| Total | 3639 (100) | 47.1 | 2909 (100) | 58.7 | 21.9 |
1Skilled provider includes doctor, nurse, midwife, auxiliary midwife, and community health officer.
2% gap closed = [(B)-(A)]*100/[100-(A)].
Note: % of Total represents the population structure.
*JHS represents junior high school.