Influence of Socioeconomic Factors on Maternal Health Outcomes

Abstract

This study evaluates the influence of socioeconomic factors on maternal health outcomes in Nigeria. The data was sourced from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), conducted by the National Population Commission (NPC) of Nigeria in collaboration with ICF International. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used for the analysis. Average Variance Extracted (AVE) was used for convergent validity and it confirmed the reliability of the model. Also, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to validate the measurement model. The results indicated strong factor loadings, demonstrating construct validity. The path coefficients (β) and significance levels derived from SEM analysis revealed that socioeconomic status (β = 0.41, p = 0.002) had significant positive effects on maternal health utilization. These findings underscore the role of economic in improving maternal health service uptake. The indirect effects were examined through bootstrap confidence intervals it revealed that the socioeconomic factors significantly mediated maternal healthcare access. The R² value of 0.42 indicated that socioeconomic factors explained a moderate proportion of the variance in maternal health utilization, signifying their substantial contribution. There was absence of multicollinearity verified by using the Variance Inflation Factor (VIF). Therefore, ensuring the robustness of the model estimates. This study recommends the necessity for targeted policies that address socioeconomic disparities and improve financial accessibility to maternal health services.