Birth Preparedness among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinic in Lagos Island Hospitals, Lagos, Nigeria

Globally, maternal mortality has remained a public health concern especially in developing countries in which Nigeria is not spared. Birth preparedness is a strategy to promote the timely use of skilled maternal and neonatal care, especially during childbirth, based on the theory that preparing for childbirth reduces delays in obtaining this care. The objective of this study is to assess the awareness of obstetric danger signs and practice of birth preparedness among pregnant women. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional design to provide answers to the objectives of the study. Respondents were recruited using simple random sampling technique with a total of 270 pregnant women participating in the study. A structured interviewer -administered questionnaire was used to collect data for a period of three weeks. Almost half of the respondents were young adults, with 78.1% having a tertiary education. There was a significant relationship between their knowledge of obstetric danger signs and level of education as well as the parity (χ2=11.935, df=4, p=0.018); (χ2=35.962, df=3, p=0.001) respectively. Also, a significant relationship was seen between respondents’ birth preparedness and the level of education (χ2=27.201, df=3, p=0.001). The respondents had fair knowledge of the danger signs during pregnancy and likewise practice of birth preparedness was fair. However, proper health education and awareness programme about the danger signs of pregnancy as well as the importance of proper preparedness of birth is still needed to help reduce maternal mortality in the country.

Author(s): Folami F*, Olowe A and Ajibola A

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