Determinants of Institutional Delivery in West Bengal: Findings from NFHS-5 (2019–21)

Objectives: The primary aim of the study is to determine the factors influencing institutional delivery among married women (15–49 years) in West Bengal. Methods: The data used in the study is derived from NFHS-5 and in order to determine the factors influencing delivery location, a binary logistic regression has been performed. Result: The regression model shows that there is a high probability of institutional delivery among older women compared to the younger women. The model also shows that Muslim women have less likely to have institutional delivery than Hindu women and there is also an increasing trend in the institutional delivery with the educational level of women. In terms of institutional delivery, the wealth index also plays an important role for women. It has been found that women who belong to the wealthiest families have more chances of getting access to institutions than women from poorer families (OR = 2.040). Similarly, women who have higher autonomy are more likely to have institutional delivery than women who have low autonomy in households (OR = 1.655). Conclusion: Although there has been a sharp increase in institutional deliveries in West Bengal, still it needs to be promoted to improve the health of mothers and their children.