Malawi 2015-16

Patterns by background characteristics
• Women less than age 20 are less likely to have had their last birth protected against neonatal tetanus
than older women (83% compared with 91-92%).
• Women who have only given birth once are more likely to receive two or more doses of tetanus toxoid
during the last pregnancy than women with six or more births (82% and 66%, respectively).
• The percentage of women whose last birth was protected from tetanus increases with education, from
88% among women with no education to 98% among those with more than secondary education.
9.4 DELIVERY SERVICES
9.4.1 Institutional Deliveries
Institutional deliveries
Deliveries that occur in a health facility.
Sample: All live births in the 5 years before the survey
Increasing institutional deliveries is an important
factor in reducing maternal and neonatal mortality.
Ninety-one percent of live births in the 5 years
before the survey were delivered in a health facility
(Table 9.5).
Trends: Institutional deliveries have increased from
55%% in 1992 to 91% in 2015-16. Over the same
period, home deliveries decreased from 43% in 1992
to 7% in 2015-16 (Figure 9.3).
Patterns by background characteristics
Figure 9.3 Trends in place of birth
Percentage of live births in the 5 years
before the survey
55 55
43 44
69
73
91
Delivered in health facility
29
Delivered at home
24
• Higher-order births are much more likely to be
home deliveries; 85% of sixth or higher order
1992 2000 2004 2010
7
2015-16
births occurred at a health facility compared with 95% of first births.
• Antenatal care increases the likelihood of an institutional delivery. Ninety-five percent of births to
mothers who attended more than four ANC visits were delivered in a health facility compared with
mothers with 61% of births to mothers with no ANC visits (Table 9.5).
• Ninety-six percent of births to urban mothers
were delivered in a health facility compared
with 91% of births to rural women.
• The mother’s educational status is highly
correlated with place of delivery. Ninety-nine
percent of births to mothers with more than a
secondary education were delivered in a health
facility compared with 86% of births to mothers
with no education (Figure 9.4).
Figure 9.4 Health facility births by
education
Percentage of live births in the 5 years
before the survey that were delivered in a
health facility
99
96
86
91
No education Primary Secondary More than
secondary
122 • Maternal Health Care