BACKGROUND Despite expanding the number of health facilities, Ethiopia has still the highest home delivery services utilization. Health care service utilization varies between regions within the country. This study explored the socio-cultural factors influencing health facility delivery in a pastoralist region of Afar, Ethiopia. METHODS An explorative qualitative study was conducted in October-December 2015. A total of 18 focus group discussions were conducted separately with mothers, male tribal leaders and religious leaders. In addition, 24 key informant interviews were conducted with Women's Affairs Bureau and district health office experts and traditional birth attendants and all were selected purposively. Data were coded and categorized using open code software and analyzed based on a thematic approach. RESULTS The social factors that affect the choice of delivery place include workload, lack of independence and decision-making power of women, and lack of substitute for childcare and household chores during pregnancy and childbirth. The cultural and spiritual factors include assuming delivery as natural process ought to happen at home, trust in traditional birth attendants, traditional practices during and after delivery and faithful to religion practice, besides, denial by health facilities to benign traditional and spiritual practices such as prayers and traditional food preparations to be performed over there. CONCLUSION Socio-cultural factors are far more than access to health centers as barriers to the utilization of health facilities for child birth. The provision of a maternity waiting home around the health facilities can alleviate some of these socio-cultural barriers.

中文翻译：

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埃塞俄比亚东北部阿法尔牧民社区中偏向家庭交付的社会文化因素：定性研究。

背景技术尽管医疗机构的数量在增加，但埃塞俄比亚仍然是送货上门服务利用率最高的国家。全国不同地区的医疗保健服务利用率各不相同。这项研究探讨了影响埃塞俄比亚阿法尔牧区的卫生设施提供的社会文化因素。方法2015年10月至12月进行了探索性定性研究。与母亲，男性部落首领和宗教领袖分别进行了18次焦点小组讨论。此外，还与妇女事务局和地区卫生办公室的专家以及传统的接生员进行了24次主要的信息提供者访谈，并有针对性地选择了所有人。使用开放代码软件对数据进行编码和分类，并基于主题方法进行分析。结果影响分娩地点选择的社会因素包括工作量，妇女缺乏独立性和决策权以及在怀孕和分娩时无法替代托儿和家务。文化和精神因素包括：假定分娩是应在家里进行的自然过程，对传统接生员的信任，分娩期间和分娩后的传统习俗以及对宗教信仰的忠实，此外，卫生机构拒绝接受良性传统和精神习俗，例如祈祷以及在那边进行的传统食物准备。结论社会文化因素远不止是进入保健中心，这是阻碍利用保健设施促进生育的障碍。