The Correlation between Availment of Maternal Care and Receiving of Health Services through 4Ps Health Grant with the Perceived Improvement in Child and Maternal Health among Women of Reproductive Age in 4 Barangays in Tondo, Manila

The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is a conditional cash transfer program of the Philippine government that seeks to reduce poverty by encouraging health and education among poor families. The present study investigated the relationship between the utilization of maternal care and routine health services through the 4Ps Health Grant and perceived improvement in maternal and child health among women of reproductive age in four barangays in Tondo, Manila. Employing a quantitative correlational design, information was gathered through systematic surveys that were distributed to beneficiaries of the 4Ps between the ages of 20 to 80 years old. Snowball sampling was utilized in order to access respondents, and information was computed utilizing Spearman's rho correlation in SPSS. Findings showed that most respondents made extensive use of health benefits, routine check-ups, and health education services. Statistical analysis revealed a weak but significant positive relationship between both maternal care availment (r = 0.199, p = 0.006) and regular health service receipt (r = 0.214, p = 0.003) with perceived improvements in maternal and child health. These results indicate that while 4Ps Health Grants can enable enhanced health-seeking behavior, underlying structural problems like limited medical infrastructure and service quality continue to prevent the program's potential. The research concludes that while the 4Ps Health Grant has a positive impact on maternal and child healthcare attitudes, improvements in accessibility, staffing, and service delivery are essential in order to ensure maximum long-term health outcomes. This study is part of an increasing body of literature on the effectiveness of conditional cash transfer schemes and provides recommendations for effective strengthening of public health policy and social welfare interventions for urban poor populations.