Factors Affecting Maternity Benefit Receipt among Social Security Insured Persons Receiving Prenatal Care and Delivery Services at Phrae Hospital, Phrae Province

Abstract

This comparative causal study aimed to examine factors associated with
the utilization of maternity benefits among 200 insured women who received antenatal care and delivery services at Phrae Hospital. Data were collected using
a validated questionnaire covering personal information, benefit perception, benefit information access, and employer social support, with reliability coefficients ranging from 0.75 to 0.98. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics,
the Mann - Whitney U Test, and the Kruskal-Wallis Test.

The results revealed that benefit perception, information access, and employer support were at high levels (mean = 63.23, 25.09, and 21.34, respectively). Differences in age, duration of insurance, type of insured person, benefit perception, information access, and employer support were significantly associated with variations in maternity benefit utilization (p < 0.05), while education, income, and number of children were not. Furthermore, benefit perception (r = 0.17), information access (r = 0.15), and employer support (r = 0.21) showed significant correlations with maternity benefit utilization.

These findings highlight the importance of enhancing awareness, improving access to information, and strengthening supportive employer environments to promote equitable utilization of maternity benefits.

Keywords:  maternity benefits, Social Security insured