Reproductive Health In Ghana

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK (LITERATURE REVIEW)

2.1 Reproductive and Maternal Health in Ghana

Over the past 15 years, Ghana has made significant progress in increasing the use of reproductive health (RH) and maternal health (MH) services and improving health outcomes. Between 1993 and 2014, the number of births that took place in facilities increased from 42 percent to 73 percent (GSS and Macro International Inc., 1994; GSS and Macro International Inc., 1999; GSS et al., 2004; GSS et al., 2009; GSS, 2012; and GSS 2014). During this same time, use of antenatal care (ANC) given by a trained health professional1 increased from 86 percent to 97 percent. Meanwhile, the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) declined by 50 percent, from 760 deaths per 100,000

The first control factor is education. Education provides people with the knowledge and skills they need to live better lives. One extra year of schooling may increase an individual’s earnings by up to 10% (UNESCO, 2011). Education of women is one of the key factors driving fertility reduction. Women with higher levels of education are more likely to delay and space their pregnancies and to seek health care and support (UNESCO, 2011). Education influences women’s reproduction by increasing their knowledge of fertility, by increasing their socioeconomic status, and by changing their attitudes towards fertility control (Castro & Juarez, 1994). Education is also closely linked to the use of contraceptives: more educated women are more likely to use FP (Kasarda et al., 1986, Robey et al., 1992, Saleem & Bobak, 2005; Ainsworth et al., 1996; Rutenburg et al., 1991). A major pathway by which education influences women’s contraceptive use is through increasing their level of knowledge (Hemmings et al.,

However, those women who worked for cash often increased their autonomy which induced them to take part in fertility decision‐making. This result highlighted the importance of women’s economic power and their control on their partner may influence their participation in using contraception. It can be seen that women who have economic power in terms of their occupation will have the power to make decisions about their health. Another socioeconomic factor that can have influence on fertility behavior is access to media. Family planning programs can be promoted via media such as television, radio, print and electronic media. This is an effective means to inform people and increase their knowledge about the