Objective: The study aimed to assess the equity of access to free maternal and child health services among reproductive-age women in Delta State, Nigeria.

Design: the study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional survey design.

Participants: The population for the study were 368 women of reproductive age (15-49 years) who had given birth between April 2015 and December 2015 in two randomly selected senatorial districts of Delta State. Data were collected using a pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire.

Results: 368 women were recruited for the study, consisting of 73.3% (N =270) from the urban setting and 26.7% (N=98) from the rural setting. 54.1% (N=199) had completed secondary school, while 28.8% (N=106) had completed tertiary education. Most respondents were aged 21 to 30 years 217(59.0%). 20% of respondents belonged to the poorest, poor and least poor socioeconomic status (SES) groups and 19.8% to average poor and rich SES groups. The results showed equity between different SES (0.014) and educational (0.027) backgrounds, as indicated in concentration curves. However, the concentration index between the geographical areas (-0.0200) indicates inequity in access in favour of urban dwellers.

Conclusion: Free maternal and child health services (FMCHS) were equitable across the different SES groups and educational levels. However, there was inequity in access due to distance to the hospitals among the women of childbearing age in the communities. This study is relevant to all healthcare professionals, especially those in public health, because it will encourage them to exercise their energy towards home care to reduce maternal and child mortality.

Funding: None declared.

Keywords: Nigeria; educational status; equity; geographical area; maternal and child health; socioeconomic status.

Copyright © The Author(s).

目的： 本研究旨在评估尼日利亚德elt州育龄妇女免费孕产妇和儿童保健服务的公平性。

设计： 该研究采用描述性横断面调查设计。

参与者： 本研究的人群为368名生育年龄（15-49岁）妇女，她们在2015年4月至2015年12月期间在德elt州两个随机选定的参议院选区中分娩。数据通过预测试的面访问卷收集。

结果： 本研究招募了368名妇女，其中73.3%（N = 270）来自城市地区，26.7%（N=98）来自农村地区。54.1%（N=199）完成了中学教育，而28.8%（N=106）完成了高等教育。大多数受访者年龄在21至30岁之间，共217人（59.0%）。20%的受访者属于最贫困、贫困和相对不贫困的社会经济地位（SES）群体，而19.8%的人属于平均贫困和富裕的SES群体。结果表明，在不同社会经济背景（0.014）和教育水平（0.027）之间存在公平性，如集中曲线所示。然而，地理区域之间的集中指数（-0.0200）表明由于距离医院的原因，城市居民在访问方面更具优势。

结论： 免费孕产妇和儿童保健服务（FMCHS）在不同的SES组和社会经济水平之间具有公平性。然而，在社区中育龄妇女的访问方面存在因距医院距离造成的不公平现象。本研究对所有医疗专业人员，特别是公共卫生专业人士而言非常相关，因为它将鼓励他们致力于家庭护理以降低孕产妇和儿童死亡率。

资助： 未披露。

关键词： 尼日利亚；教育状况；公平性；地理区域；孕产妇和儿童健康；社会经济地位。

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