ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FACILITIES AND MATERNAL MORTALITY IN RURAL SOUTH-WEST, NIGERIA
Author: Owoseni, Joseph S, owoshynah@yahoo.com
Department: Sociology
University: University of Ilorin, Nigeria
Supervisor: Prof Salawu
Year of completion: In progress
Language of dissertation: English
Keywords:
Rural
, Health care
, Communities
, Nigeria
Areas of Research:
Health
, Poverty, Social Welfare and Social Policy
, Women in Society
Abstract
In economically disadvantaged settings, the incidence and prevalence of maternal mortality remains a daunting and fundamental unmet public health challenge. This has necessitated a paradigmatic shift in strategy from emphasis on the less successful antenatal risk assessment and traditional health care approach to a more result oriented health care and delivery services assisted by skilled birth attendants. However, in rural communities, accessing these specialized maternal health facilities is hindered by a plethora of factors thereby engendering maternal mortality among the populace. This study will examine health service provision and maternal mortality in rural southwest, Nigeria. Specifically, it will focus on the influences of socio-cultural factors, reproductive behaviours, male role and health service factors on access to health and maternal mortality in rural communities in Southwest Nigeria
The study will employ Andersen's Health-seeking Behavioural Model to demonstrate the relationship between factors hindering access or provoking delays and maternal health outcomes. This study will be community-based, descriptive and explorative and methods of data collection, analysis and presentation will be triangulated. These will include secondary data sources (NDHS and hospital records), combined with primary sources; ethnographic techniques including observation and questionnaire, in-depth interviews (IDIs), focus group discussions (FGDs), key-informant interviews (KIIs), an assessment checklist and questionnaires. Univariate, Bivariate and Multivariate analyses will be employed for quantitative data while content analysis will be used for the qualitative data. Findings will be presented via tables, graphs, charts and verbatim reporting. Respondents for the study will include women of childbearing age, and men (married and never married who have children) residing in rural South-West, Nigeria. Also, TBAs, doctors, midwifes, auxiliary nurses with the knowledge of the broad factors surrounding maternal mortalities will be recruited to participate in the study.
It is expected that the study will shed light on community and hospital based factors influencing access to health care facilities and maternal mortality and also make an analytical comparism between Ondo and Ekiti State on the steps taken so far in reducing maternal mortality in the region. The implications of reproductive behaviours of women, socio-cultural factors and health services for access to health care services and maternal mortality in rural communities of South-West will be brought to the fore.
