Shirina Aktar

Health Care Seeking Behaviors for Safe Motherhood: Findings from Rural Bangladesh Shirina Aktar

Bangladesh has made significant progress in women?s health and wellness since it adopted the ICPD (International Conference on Population and Development). Realizing the importance of safe motherhood for a healthy and prosperous nation, various government and non-government organizations have been working hard to provide health-care to women at all socio-economic levels in Bangladesh. However, a large number of women are not utilizing the services that may be available to them. Moreover, creating awareness among rural women has been identified as a difficult task. Eliciting data from hard-to-reach female population in a rural area of Bangladesh, Shirina Aktar describes women?s health care seeking behaviors for safe motherhood. Aktar shows how women?s socio-economic status and a lack of appropriate knowledge influence their care seeking behaviors. Finally, she recommends that an integrated approach to women?s health be taken by focusing on women?s education and income-generating activities which will enable them to make better choices when it comes to their maternity.