Does knowledge on socio-cultural factors associated with maternal mortality affect maternal health decisions? A cross-sectional study of the Greater Accra region of Ghana.

Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 100967799 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1471-2393 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 14712393 NLM ISO Abbreviation: BMC Pregnancy Childbirth Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: London : BioMed Central, [2001-

Maternal Mortality*; Maternal Health/*statistics & numerical data ; Patient Acceptance of Health Care/*statistics & numerical data ; Prenatal Care/*statistics & numerical data ; Rural Health Services/*statistics & numerical data ; Rural Population/*statistics & numerical data; Adult ; Cause of Death ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Cultural Characteristics ; Female ; Ghana ; Humans ; Maternal Health Services/statistics & numerical data ; Pregnancy ; Young Adult

Background: The concern of all maternal health stakeholders is to improve maternal health and reduce maternal deaths to the barest minimum. This remains elusive in low and middle-income countries as the majority of factors that drive maternal deaths stem from the socio-cultural environment especially in rural settings. This study was aimed at finding out if knowledge on socio-cultural factors related to maternal mortality affects maternal health decisions in rural Ghana.
Methods: Community-based cross-sectional in design, the study involved 233 participants from 3 rural districts in the Greater Accra Region. Mixed-method of data collection was employed after informed consent. Quantitative data were analyzed using simple statistics, Fisher's Exact Test of independence and crude odds ratio were used to interpret the results, whilst the FGDs were recorded, transcribed and analyzed based on themes.
Results: Statistically, significant relationship exists between all the socio-cultural factors studied (Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs), religious beliefs and practices, herbal concoctions, and pregnancy and childbirth-related taboos) and maternal health decisions (p = 0.001 for all the variables) with very strong associations between maternal health decisions and knowledge on pregnancy and childbirth related taboos, TBA patronage, and religious beliefs and practices (OR = 21.06; 13; 7.28 respectively). However, misconceptions on factors associated with maternal mortality deeply rooted in rural communities partly explain why maternal morbidity and mortality are persistent in Ghana.
Conclusion: Meaningful and successful interventions on maternal mortality can only be achieved if misconceptions on causes of maternal mortality especially in rural areas of the country are tackled through mass education of communities. This should be done consistently over a long period of time for sustained behavioral change.

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Keywords: Ghana; Maternal health decision; Maternal mortality; Socio-cultural factors

Date Created: 20190130 Date Completed: 20190514 Latest Revision: 20240607

20240607

PMC6350397

10.1186/s12884-019-2197-7

30691397