Knowledge of obstetric danger signs and associated factors: a study among mothers in Shashamane town, Oromia region, Ethiopia

Prevalence and determinants of postpartum depression among adolescent and adult mothers in Northwest Ethiopia

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common mental health issue in resource-limited settings that negatively affects the well-being of mothers and children. However, PPD often remains untreated, leading to long-term consequences for families. Therefore, we examined the prevalence and determinants of PPD among adolescent and adult mothers in northwest Ethiopia. Data were collected from 374 adolescent (10-19 years) and 760 adult (20-34 years) mothers 6 weeks after childbirth. Data were analyzed using binary and multiple logistic regression. Adolescent mothers had a significantly higher proportion of PPD (37.4%) than adult mothers (20.1%) and were more likely to report low self-esteem (13.1% vs. 8.2%) and low social support (28.3% vs. 23.3%). Factors associated with PPD differed between adolescent and adult mothers. Adolescent mothers with PPD were more likely to report household food insecurity, low self-esteem, low knowledge of postpartum complications, and working in agriculture or professional/technical occupations. For adult mothers, factors associated with PPD included distance to the nearest health facility, medium social support, inadequate dietary diversity, and food insecurity. Results suggest that targeted interventions by age group are needed to reduce the burden of PPD in Ethiopia.

Pregnancy Risk Perception, Knowledge of Obstetric Danger Signs and Attitude Towards Skilled Delivery Service Utilization Among Pregnant Mothers in a Rural Setting in South Ethiopia: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Poor pregnancy risk perception, ignorance of obstetric risk symptoms, and attitudes toward institutional delivery services are factors that prevent pregnant women from choosing to receive emergency obstetric treatment.

Objective

To assess pregnancy risk perception, attitude towards skilled delivery service, and knowledge of obstetric danger signs and associated factors among pregnant mothers.

Methods

A cross-sectional community-based study design was used. The 668 pregnant women who participated in this study were chosen using a multi-stage sampling methodology. Data were gathered using a pretested questionnaire that was presented by an interviewer. To find independent factors, logistic regression analysis was used. With a p-value of less than 0.05, which denotes statistical significance, a corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated.

Results

Pregnancy risk perception was shown to have a lower mean score (23) overall. Only 40.9% of the study participants had high pregnancy risk perception. Over 50% (337) of respondents had a positive attitude towards skilled delivery service utilization. In all categories of obstetric danger signs, only 153 respondents (or 22.9%) knew what the obstetric danger signs were. Maternal age (AOR = 1.966, CI: 1.185-3.261), maternal education (AOR = 1.965, 1.002-3.854), and parity (AOR = 0.534, CI: 0.305-0.933) were factors affecting knowledge of obstetric danger signs. Pregnancy risk Perception (AOR = 14.7, CI: 9.849-22.235) and parity (AOR = 2.27, CI: 1.381-3.733) were significantly associated with attitudes on the use of skilled delivery services.

Conclusion

This study found that pregnant women in rural locations had poor levels of knowledge of obstetric danger sign, attitude toward using skilled delivery services, and perception of pregnancy risk. The knowledge of obstetric danger indicators among pregnant women was considerably affected by the mother's age, education, and parity. The perception of pregnancy risk and parity were found to be substantially associated with attitudes towards skilled delivery services.

Knowledge of obstetric danger signs and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care services at Thai community hospital

BACKGROUND

To decrease preventable maternal mortality, providing health education to all parties is mandatory. Good knowledge, including awareness of pregnant women regarding obstetric danger signs (ODS), leads to appropriate practices and services. The knowledge of ODS varies among countries and regions. Since the data in rural regions of Thailand remains unavailable, this study aimed to identify the prevalence of good ODS knowledge and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal services at a Thai community hospital.

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional, analytical study in 415 singleton pregnant women who visited the antenatal clinic at Wang Saphung Hospital, Loei, Thailand. A well-trained research assistant interviewed all participants using the data record form containing twenty items on the demographic and obstetric data and sixteen items on ODS knowledge. An ODS score of at least 75% (12 points) was considered a good level of knowledge.

RESULTS

A total of 275 participants (66.27%) had good knowledge of ODS. The most recognized ODS was vaginal bleeding whereas the least recognized ODS during pregnancy was convulsion; the least recognized ODS during labor and delivery was retained placenta. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the predictive factors of good OBS knowledge included a higher education level, maternal age of at least 20 years, and having medical personnel as a source of knowledge.

CONCLUSIONS

In a rural setting of Thailand, two-thirds of pregnant women had good ODS knowledge. Identifying those at risk for fair and poor ODS knowledge and prompt management for the vulnerable subgroups might help decrease maternal mortality.

Improving the Quality of Postpartum Care in Ghana: Protocol for a Parallel Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Although the postpartum period poses substantial risks and can result in significant maternal morbidity and mortality, postpartum care of the mother receives much less attention in transitional countries.

OBJECTIVE

We describe the protocol for a randomized controlled trial to implement and evaluate a postpartum care delivery model titled Focused-PPC (Focused Postpartum Care).

METHODS

Focused-PPC is an integrated group postpartum care model that meets the clinical care, education, and support needs of mothers up to 1 year after birth. The Focused-PPC intervention is a parallel randomized controlled trial with a total of 192 postpartum women at 4 health centers in Tamale, Ghana. Participants will be randomized into 1 of 2 trial arms at a 1:1 allocation ratio: (1) the control arm, which receives the standard postnatal care currently delivered in health facilities, or (2) the intervention arm, which receives the Focused-PPC model of care. Women enrolled in the intervention arm will receive postpartum clinical assessments and education for the first 6 weeks and will continue to receive education, measures of vital signs, and peer support for 12 months post partum during child welfare visits. Led by trained midwives, each postpartum group in the intervention arm will meet at 1-2 weeks, 6 weeks, and monthly thereafter for up to 1 year post partum, following the Ghana Health Service postnatal care schedule.

RESULTS

The Focused-PPC guide, data collection tools, and audiovisual education materials were successfully developed and translated into the local language. We have enrolled and conducted baseline surveys for 192 women (sample size met) in the Focused-PPC trial who have been randomized into intervention and control arms. We have established a total of 12 Focused-PPC groups in the intervention arm, 3 groups from each site, all of which have sessions underway.

CONCLUSIONS

Focused-PPC has the potential to change the postpartum care delivery model in Ghana and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05280951; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05280951.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/47519.

Pregnant woman awareness of obstetric danger signs in developing country: systematic review

BACKGROUND

Mother's awareness of obstetric danger signs is the degree of a pregnant woman to fully utilize her knowledge of the signs and symptoms of complications of pregnancy, which helps the mother and family to seek medical help immediately. High maternal and infant mortality rates in developing countries are due to a combination of a lack of quality, resources and access to health services coupled with mother's lack of awareness. The purpose of this study was to collect current empirical studies to describe the pregnant women awareness about the obstetric danger sign in developing country.

METHOD

This review employed the Prisma-ScR checklist. The articles searched in four electronic databases (Scopus, CINAHL, Science Direct, Google Scholar). Variables that used to search the articles (pregnant woman, knowledge, awareness, danger signs pregnancy). The Framework used to review is PICOS.

RESULT

The results of the article found 20 studies which met inclusion criteria. The determinants were high educational status, more pregnancy experience, more ANC visit, and labour in the health facility.

CONCLUSION

The level of awareness is low to medium, only some have fair awareness, in which related to determinant. The recommended effective strategy is to improve the ANC program by assess the risk of obstetric danger sign promptly, assess the barrier of health seeking related to the family support, i.e. the husband and the elderly. Additionally, use MCH handbook or mobile application to record the ANC visit and communicate with the family.

Knowledge of Obstetric Danger Signs among Pregnant Women in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

A lack of awareness regarding obstetric danger signs (ODS) is one of the factors that delay a pregnant woman's decision to seek emergency obstetric care. In developing countries, this delay can lead to high morbidity and mortality among pregnant women. In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), very few studies have been conducted to assess the level of knowledge of pregnant women about ODS. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the knowledge of pregnant women about ODS in health facilities in eastern DRC. This quantitative cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical study was conducted in 19 health facilities in the Kasongo health zone in the south Maniema Province of eastern DRC. A total of 624 pregnant women aged 12-49 years were interviewed in this study. Of these, 60.6% were secondary school graduates, >99% were married, 85.5% were cultivators, and 67.9% were Muslims. The knowledge of ODS among pregnant women was low (21.9%). The most cited danger signs during pregnancy, labor/delivery, and postpartum included severe abdominal pain and severe vaginal bleeding. Additionally, pregnant women aged 30-39 years (p = 0.015) and those who had given birth once (p = 0.049), twice (p = 0.003), 3-5 times (p = 0.004), and >5 times (p = 0.009) were more likely to be aware of ODS than others. Our findings indicated that pregnant women have little knowledge of ODS, which makes it difficult for them to take prompt decisions to seek emergency obstetric care. Thus, strategies to increase the knowledge of pregnant women about obstetrical danger signs by healthcare providers during prenatal consultations (antenatal care) must be developed to improve their rapid decision-making skills during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum.

Knowledge of danger signs in pregnancy and their associated factors among pregnant women in Hosanna Town, Hadiya Zone, southern Ethiopia

Background

Danger signs in pregnancy can warn of maternal health problems. In developing African countries, including Ethiopia, the rate of maternal mortality is high. There is little knowledge of danger signs during pregnancy and their associated factors at the community level in the study area.

Methods

A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted to assess knowledge about danger signs among pregnant women in Hosanna Zuria Kebeles between 30 June and 30 July 2021. A simple random sampling method was used to select eligible pregnant women. The sample size was proportionally allocated based on the number of pregnant women in each kebele. Data were collected in face-to-face interviews using a pretested questionnaire. The descriptive results were presented as proportions, whereas the analytic results were presented as adjusted odds ratios (AOR).

Results

The prevalence of good knowledge of danger signs in pregnancy was 259/410 (63.2%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 58.3–67.8). The most common known danger signs during pregnancy were severe vaginal bleeding (n = 227, 55.4%), followed by blurred vision (n = 224, 54.6%). In the multivariable analysis, the age of the respondent (AOR = 3.29, 95% CI 1.15–9.38), the tertiary education of the mother (AOR = 5.40, 95% CI 2.56–11.34), and the number of live births (AOR = 3.95, 95% CI 2.08–7.48) were statistically significant factors.

Conclusion

There was an adequate prevalence of knowledge of danger signs in pregnancy among pregnant mothers compared with different studies in Ethiopia and different countries. Advanced maternal age, the respondent's level of education, and the number of live births were found to be independent determining factors for the level of knowledge on danger signs in pregnancy among pregnant mothers. Health facilities and healthcare providers should focus on antenatal care and the age and parity of the mother when giving information about danger signs in pregnancy. The Ministry of Health should provide reproductive health services in rural areas and encourage education for women. Further studies need to be conducted and include danger signs in the three trimesters using a qualitative study design.

Assessment of knowledge of obstetric danger signs and its associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic of rural health training centre of a medical college: A cross-sectional study from Rajasthan

Background and Objectives

Women and newborns are most vulnerable during and immediately after childbirth. The majority of maternal and newborn deaths occurring in developing countries can be attributed to inabilities to access health services, illiteracy, social stigmas, and gender inequalities. Women should be made aware of the danger signs so that health care services can be assessed on time, thus reducing maternal mortality. The objectives of this study were to assess the knowledge about obstetric danger signs and to find out various factors associated with them among pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) clinic at the Rural Health Training Centre (RHTC) attached to a Medical College.

Methodology

This cross-sectional study was conducted at the ANC clinic of the RHTC attached to a medical college of Rajasthan for a period of 4 months and included 353 pregnant women. A pre-designed and pre-tested schedule was used. Mean knowledge scores were computed and knowledge was classified into adequate and inadequate. Descriptive statistics were used and the Pearson Chi-square test was used as a test of significance, taking a P value of < 0.05 as statistically significant.

Results

Educational status of pregnant women, antenatal check-up status and gravid status had significant associations with the knowledge of obstetric danger signs.

Conclusions

About half of the respondents had adequate knowledge about the obstetrics danger signs. Therefore, there is a strong need of creating awareness in the community by improving access to health care.

Determinant Factors for High-Risk Pregnancy among Minangkabau Ethnicity in Indonesia

BACKGROUND: High-risk pregnancy cause multifactorial. The lack of investment in better and more accessible hospital care for women and newborns in Indonesia may be partly to blame for the country's disproportionately high rates of high-risk pregnancy, maternal, and perinatal death. AIM: The aim of this study was to determine determinant factors for high-risk pregnancy among minangkabau ethnicity in Indonesia. Method: The authors conducted a case control study. Data were gathered  in Healthcare Facilities Padang, Indonesia from December 2019-December 2020. The number of subjects in this research were 64 cases group (women with high-risk pregnancy) and 128 control group (normal pregnancy) matching by sex and region. The sampling technique in this research was proportional random sampling. Data were gathered from medical records and primary data collection with survey data. Bivariate and multivariate analysis were investigated using Chi-square and Logistic binary regression test. The data were analyzed using STATA version 14.2. Result: There were associations between mother's educational level, women's empowerment, head of the family educational level, chronic diseases, history of childbirth, maternal age and parity with high-risk pregnancy. Multivariate analysis found that the highest Odds ratio (OR) for the occurrence of high-risk pregnancy were history of childbirth (OR = 8.26, 95% CI 3.32-20.52), and mother's level of education (OR = 5.67, 95% CI 2.64-12.15). Conclusion: This analysis confirmed the history of childbirth and the mother’s level of education for high-risk pregnancy among Minangkabau ethnicity in Indonesia. The findings of risk factors for a high-risk pregnancy can be determined through early detection and useful predictors so that women can detect high-risk pregnancy themselves.

Low cost, non-invasive, and continuous vital signs monitoring device for pregnant women in low resource settings (Lvital device)

Around 800 women die each day from complications of pregnancy and childbirth in the world. Vital Signs monitoring (such as blood pressure, pulse rate, and temperature) are among fundamental parameters of ensuring the health and safety of women and newborns during pregnancy, labor, and childbirth. Approximately, 10% of women experience hypertension (greater than140/90) during pregnancy. High blood pressure during pregnancy can cause extra stress on the heart and kidneys and can increase the risk of heart disease. Therefore, early recognition of abnormal vital signs, which are induced due to pregnancy can allow for timely identification of clinical deterioration. Currently used technologies are expensive and complex design with implementation challenges in low-resource settings where maternal morbidity and mortality is higher. Thus, considering the above need, here a hardware device has been designed and developed, which is a low cost, and portable for pregnant women's vital signs (with cuff-less blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature) monitoring device. The developed device would have a remarkable benefit of monitoring the maternal vital signs especially for those in low resource settings, where there is a high paucity of vital signs monitoring devices.

Magnitude and determinants of knowledge towards pregnancy danger signs among pregnant women attending antenatal care at Chiro town health institutions, Ethiopia

Objectives:

This study aimed to assess the magnitude and determinants of knowledge of pregnancy danger signs in Chiro town health institutions, Ethiopia.

Methods:

Institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 395 systematically selected pregnant mothers. An interviewer-administered pretested questionnaire was used to collect data. The data were entered into EPI data version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 22. Bi- and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify determinant factors. Statistical significance was declared at p < 0.05.

Results:

Even though 58.0% of respondents recalled at least one danger sign of pregnancy, only 26.3% (95% confidence interval: 21.7–30.7) of the respondents had good knowledge of pregnancy danger signs. Residence (adjusted odds ratio = 2.43, 95% confidence interval: 1.50–4.00), distance to health facility (adjusted odds ratio = 2.11, 95% confidence interval: 1.28–3.47), and income (adjusted odds ratio = 1.99, 95% confidence interval: 1.22–3.33) were found to be significantly associated with mothers’ knowledge of pregnancy danger signs.

Conclusion:

The overall women’s knowledge of the danger signs of pregnancy was poor. Monthly income, distance to health facilities, and residence were determinant factors of mothers’ knowledge of pregnancy danger signs. Thus, the provision of information targeting pregnant women, their families, and the general community regarding danger signs of pregnancy is recommended to health care providers.

Husbands' participation in birth preparedness and complication readiness plan in Kucha district, Gamo Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Background

Birth-preparedness and complication-readiness (BPCR) is the process of planning for normal birth and anticipating the actions needed in case of an emergency. The involvement of husband during pregnancy helps a mother to make timely decisions to avoid delays. Identifying the level of husband involvement in Birth-preparedness and complication-readiness is very important, as husband is the major decision maker in household and health service related issue. However, there is no sufficient data in the Kucha district, which describes the level of husband involvement in Birth-preparedness and complication-readiness. Therefore, this study assessed the level of husband involvement in birth preparedness and complication readiness in Kucha District, Gamo Zone, Ethiopia.

Methods

Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 421 husbands whose wife gave birth within the last 12 months at Kucha District using simple random sampling technique. Data was collected using a pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire by trained data collectors. Binary and multivariable logistic regression with odds ratios along with the 95% confidence interval analysis were employed to find factors associated with the level of husband involvement. A p-value <0.05 with 95% confidence level used to decide statistical significance.

Results

Data were collected from 421 study participants. One hundred twenty-seven (30.2%) were involved in birth preparedness and complication readiness plan. Participants who had at least secondary school education AOR = 3.1, CI (1.84–5.23), had at least four antenatal care visits AOR = 4.91, CI (2.36–10.2), and live more than five km from the health care facility AOR = 2.35, CI = 1.40–3.96) were involved in birth preparedness and complication readiness plan.

Conclusion

Husbands’ involvement in birth preparedness and complication readiness was low. Husband’s higher educational level, high frequency of antenatal care, and long distance to the health facility were significantly associated with husbands’ involvement in Birth-preparedness and complication-readiness plan. Therefore, advocating for higher frequency of antenatal care and improving educational level are important to increase husbands’ involvement in birth preparedness and complication readiness plan.

The determinant of health insurance ownership among pregnant women in Indonesia

BACKGROUND

Health insurance ownership is one indicator of the readiness of pregnant women for the delivery process. The study aimed to analyze the determinants of health insurance ownership among pregnant women in Indonesia.

METHODS

The study population was pregnant women in Indonesia. The study involved 2542 pregnant women in Indonesia. The variables analyzed included type of place of residence, age group, education level, employment status, marital status, parity, wealth status, and know the danger signs of pregnancy. In the final step, the study employed binary logistic regression to explain the relationship between health insurance ownership and predictor variables.

RESULTS

The results show that pregnant women with higher education were 3.349 times more likely than no education pregnant women to have health insurance. Pregnant women with wealth status in the middle category were 0.679 times the poorest pregnant women to have health insurance. Meanwhile, the richest pregnant women had 1.358 times more chances than the poorest pregnant women to have health insurance. Grande multiparous pregnant women were 1.544 times more likely than primiparous pregnant women to have health insurance. Pregnant women who know the danger signs of pregnancy were 1.416 times more likely than pregnant women who don't see the danger signs of pregnancy to have health insurance.

CONCLUSIONS

The study concluded that four variables, including education level, wealth status, parity, and knowledge of the danger signs of pregnancy, were significant determinants of health insurance ownership in Indonesia.

Awareness of obstetric danger signs among pregnant women in the Democratic Republic of Congo: evidence from a nationwide cross-sectional study

Background

Poor awareness of obstetric danger signs is a major contributing factor to delays in seeking obstetric care and hence to high maternal mortality and morbidity worldwide. We conducted the current study to assess the level of agreement on receipt of counseling on obstetric danger signs between direct observations of antenatal care (ANC) consultation and women’s recall in the exit interview. We also identified factors associated with pregnant women’s awareness of obstetric danger signs during pregnancy in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Methods

We used data from the 2017–2018 DRC Service Provision Assessment survey. Agreement between the observation and woman’s recall was measured using Cohen’s kappa statistic and percent agreement. Multivariable Zero-Inflated Poisson (ZIP) regression was used to identify factors associated with the number of danger signs during pregnancy the woman knew.

Results

On average, women were aware of 1.5 ± 1.34 danger signs in pregnancy (range: 0 to 8). Agreement between observation and woman’s recall was 70.7%, with a positive agreement of 16.9% at the country level but ranging from 2.1% in Bandundu to 39.7% in Sud Kivu. Using multivariable ZIP analysis, the number of obstetric danger signs the women mentioned was significantly higher in multigravida women (Adj.IRR = 1.38; 95% CI: 1.23–1.55), in women attending a private facility (Adj.IRR = 1.15; 95% CI: 1.01–1.31), in women attending a subsequent ANC visit (Adj.IRR = 1.11; 95% CI: 1.01–1.21), and in women counseled on danger signs during the ANC visit (Adj.IRR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.05–1.35). There was a regional variation in the awareness of danger signs, with the least mentioned signs in the middle and the most in the eastern provinces.

Conclusions

Our findings indicated poor agreement between directly observed counseling and women’s reports that counseling on obstetric danger signs occurred during the current ANC visit. We found that province of residence, provision of counseling on obstetric danger signs, facility ownership, gravidity and the number of ANC visits were predictors of the awareness of obstetric danger signs among pregnant women. These factors should be considered when developing strategies aim at improving women’s awareness about obstetric danger signs in the DRC

Pregnancy danger signs: Knowledge and health-seeking behavior among reproductive age women in southwest Ethiopia

Background:

Warning signs of pregnancy are not reliably predictable. But, knowing these early warning signs is very important for pregnant women to eliminate serious complications and start treatment immediately. The higher level of maternal mortality can be reduced by providing quality maternity service and empowering women with good knowledge of the danger signs of pregnancy and promoting appropriate health-seeking behavior. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the knowledge of pregnancy danger signs and health-seeking behavior among reproductive age women in southwest Ethiopia.

Method:

A cross-sectional study was carried out with 526 randomly selected women from 1 to 30 January 2019. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 21. Both bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine factors associated with the outcome variable. The level of significance was declared at a p-value < 0.05.

Results:

The proportion of mothers who had good knowledge of pregnancy danger signs were 43.2%. The majority (65%) of those surveyed mentioned vaginal bleeding as a pregnancy danger sign. The factors associated with good knowledge of pregnancy danger signs were husbands with secondary education and above (adjusted odds ratio = 2.52, 95% confidence interval (1.08–5.91) monthly income ⩾ 1000 Ethiopian Birr (adjusted odds ratio = 2.64, 95% confidence interval (1.48–4.71) being multigravida (adjusted odds ratio = 2.14, 95% confidence interval (1.17–3.94) and last delivery at the health facility (adjusted odds ratio = 6.84, 95% confidence interval (4.02–11.63) The proportion of mothers who experienced pregnancy danger signs and had good health-seeking behavior was 72.7%.

Conclusion:

The knowledge of pregnancy danger signs among reproductive age women was low in the study area. This indicates the large proportions of women who do not know the danger signs are likely to delay in deciding to seek care when they face the problem. Therefore, empowering women, improving the quality of health information about danger signs during antenatal care follow-up, and promoting institutional delivery are the recommended interventions.

Level of awareness of risk factors and danger signs of pregnancy among pregnant women attending antenatal care in PHC, Nandagudi

Danger signs of pregnancy are warning signs that women encounter during pregnancy, child birth and post-partum period. It is important, to know these warning signs for women and health care providers to rule out serious complications and initiate treatment immediately.

Objectives

1. To assess the awareness of danger signs of pregnancy among pregnant women attending antenatal care in Nandagudi PHC. 2. To give health education to the pregnant women about the risk factors and danger signs.

Methodology

A cross sectional study was conducted in PHC, Nandagudi , field practise area of MVJMC and RH. Study was carried out from September 2017 to November 2017. A total of 210 pregnant women who attended the ante natal clinic at PHC, Nandagudi were the study subjects. A pre designed pretested questionnaire was used. Data collected was thus entered in M S excel and was analysed using SPSS 21 version.

Results

60% of the study population belonged to the age group 23-27. Majority (90%) of them knew the importance of iron and folic acid. 72% of the cases knew the importance of blood group in pregnancy. Majority (91%) preferred hospital delivery compared to home delivery (9%). All 210 women knew about only 3 danger signs, they are bleeding per vagina, loss of consciousness and convulsions.

Conclusion

Every pregnant woman faces the risk of sudden, unpredictable complication that could end in death or injury to herself or to her infant. Hence, it is necessary to employ strategies to overcome such problems as they arise.

Birth preparedness and complication readiness among women of reproductive age in Kenya and Tanzania: a community-based cross-sectional survey

Background

Delayed health-seeking continues to contribute to preventable maternal and neonatal deaths in low resource countries. Some of the strategies to avoid the delay include early preparation for the birth and detection of danger signs. We aimed to assess the level of practice and factors associated with birth preparedness and complication readiness (BPCR) in Kenya and Tanzania.

Methods

We conducted community-based multi-stage cross-sectional surveys in Kilifi and Kisii counties in Kenya and Mwanza region in Tanzania and included women who delivered two years preceding the survey (2016–2017). A woman who mentioned at least three out of five BPCR components was considered well-prepared. Bivariate and multivariable proportional odds model were used to determine the factors associated with the BPCR. The STROBE guidelines for cross-sectional studies informed the design and reporting of this study.

Results

Only 11.4% (59/519) and 7.6% (31/409) of women were well-prepared for birth and its complications in Kenya and Tanzania, respectively, while 39.7 and 30.6% were unprepared, respectively. Level of education (primary: adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.59, 95% CI: 1.14–2.20, secondary: aOR: 2.24, 95% CI: 1.39–3.59), delivery within health facility (aOR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.15–2.29), good knowledge of danger signs during pregnancy (aOR: 1.28, 95% CI: 0.80–2.04), labour and childbirth (aOR: 1.57, 95% CI: 0.93–2.67), postpartum (aOR: 2.69, 95% CI: 1.24–5.79), and antenatal care were associated with BPCR (aOR: 1.42, 95% CI: 1.13–1.78).

Conclusion

Overall, most pregnant women were not prepared for birth and its complications in Kilifi, Kisii and Mwanza region. Improving level of education, creating awareness on danger signs during preconception, pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum period, and encouraging antenatal care and skilled birth care among women and their male partners/families are recommended strategies to promote BPCR practices and contribute to improved pregnancy outcomes in women and newborns.

Determinants of knowledge of pregnancy danger signs in Indonesia

INTRODUCTION

The maternal mortality rate in Indonesia is still quite high. It requires good knowledge for early prevention. The study aimed to analyze the determinants of knowledge of the pregnancy danger signs in Indonesia.

METHODS

The samples used were 85,832 women of childbearing age (15-49 years old). The variables included understanding of danger signs of pregnancy, types of residence, age, education, employment, marital status, wealth, parity, the autonomy of health, current pregnancy status, and media exposure. The determinant was pointed out by using binary logistic regression.

RESULTS

Urban women were 1.124 times more likely to understand the pregnancy danger signs of than rural women. Older women could identify pregnancy danger signs better than those aged 15-19 years. The more educated a woman is, the higher knowledge of the pregnancy danger signs she has. Married women or those who live with their partner were at 1.914 times likely to identify the pregnancy danger signs than unmarried ones or those who have never been in a relationship. If the wealth status gets higher, knowledge of the pregnancy danger signs will be better too. Grande multiparous women were at 0.815 times more likely to understand the pregnancy danger signs than primiparous. Women with the autonomy of health had 1.053 times chances to identify the pregnancy danger signs than those without autonomy. Women who were currently pregnant had 1.229 times better understanding of the pregnancy danger signs than women who were not currently pregnant. Media exposure had a good effect on women's understanding of the pregnancy danger signs.

CONCLUSION

All variables tested were the determinants of knowledge of the pregnancy danger signs in Indonesia. These include residence, age, education, employment, marital status, wealth, parity, the autonomy of health, current pregnancy status, and media exposure.