Trends and Determinants of Postnatal Care Utilization in South-West Nigeria Using NDHS Data (2013-2024)

Despite readily available information on national-level analyses of Postnatal care utilization, there is a paucity of studies on subnational evidence on postnatal care uptake. This study addresses this gap by examining trend PNC uptake across the South-West states in Nigeria using pooled NDHS data from 2013 to 2024. A secondary analysis of pooled data from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHS) conducted in 2013, 2018, and 2024 with a final unweighted sample size of 5,514. The study outcome variable is the postnatal care utilization within seven days of delivery among women of reproductive age. Sampling weight was applied to estimates while multivariable multilevel logistic regression models were fitted to examine determinants of PNC uptake. Majority of the study respondent resided in urban area (72.1%), with secondary education being the highest maternal level of education (51.7%). The proportion of PNC uptake dropped drastically from 48.9% in 2013 to 23.9% in 2018 and 22.7% in 2024. Maternal level of education (Tertiary education: AOR=2.26; 95% CI=1.64-3.13) significantly increased the likelihood of PNC utilization among women of reproductive age. Findings revealed a disturbing downward slope in PNC utilization especially in 2024 which call for urgent response in programme design and implementation. Efforts should be reinforced in ensuring female education as a critical step to reduce neonatal and maternal mortality.