Education, Health Knowledge, and Maternal Health in Pakistan

Abstract

The use of maternal health services is a complex behavioral phenomenon related to social and cultural structures, household factors, and women’s personal characteristics, such as education and health knowledge. Yet the causal mechanism through which women’s education in Pakistan affects their health-seeking behavior is poorly understood. Using data from the 2006/07 Pakistan Demographic Health Survey on women aged 15–49 who had given birth at least once in the three years prior to the survey, this study aims to (i) determine which socioeconomic factors affect maternal healthcare use behavior and (ii) identify the pathway through which the impact of women’s education is transmitted to their maternal health-seeking behavior.