This report examines the relationship between antenatal care and subsequent professional assistance at delivery in India. Using data from India’s 1992-92 and 1998-99 National Family Health Surveys, the effect of antenatal care visits on type of assistance at delivery (ranging from no assistance to professional assistance at home to delivery in a medical institution) is estimated through multinomial logistic regression. Demographic, geographic and socioeconomic factors, as well as pregnancy complications and two measures of access to health facilities were controlled for.

Results show that after controlling by all the variables above, as well as for antenatal care visits, pregnancy complications and access to health facilities do not have a large effect on assistance at delivery. However, antenatal care has a large effect on assistance at delivery. This effect is stronger in South India than in North India. These results suggest that increased antenatal care coverage can be an effective means of increasing professional assistance at delivery, especially delivery in a medical institution.

For the full report go to: http://www.measuredhs.com/pubs/pdf/WP28/WP28.pdf