Knowledge about Obstetric Danger Signs and Associated Factors (Hailu, 2014)
D. Hailu and H. Berhe “Knowledge about Obstetric Danger Signs and Associated Factors among Mothers in Tsegedie District, Tigray Region, Ethiopia 2013: Community Based Cross-Sectional Study,” PLoS ONE 9, no. 2 (February 6, 2014).
URL: www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0083459
Abstract
Background: In many developing countries including Ethiopia, maternal morbidity and mortality still pose a substantial burden and thus progress towards the fifth Millennium Development Goal (MDG) remains slow. Raising awareness of women about the danger signs of pregnancy and childbirth is the first essential step in accepting appropriate and timely referral to obstetric care. However, in Ethiopia little is known about the knowledge level of mothers about obstetric danger signs. The objective of this study was to assess the status of knowledge of danger signs of pregnancy and childbirth among mothers who gave birth in the past two years prior to the survey in Tsegedie district, Tigray regional state, Ethiopia.
Methods: A Community based cross-sectional study was conducted from November 20, 2012 to June 30, 2013 on a randomly selected sample of 485 women who had at least one delivery in the past two years. Multistage sampling technique was employed to select the study participants. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data. Focus group discussion and in-depth interviews were utilized to supplement the Quantitative data. Bivariate and multivariate data analysis was performed using SPSS version 17.0 software.
Hailu and Berhe examine the degree to which pregnant women in Ethiopia were aware of signs of potential obstetric complications using a community-based cross-sectional study. The researchers found that 30 to 35 percent of women surveyed did not know any of the danger signs for pregnancy and childbirth. Knowledge of these danger signs was independently correlated with educational status, place of delivery and having a functional radio, highlighting the need to provide additional health education in the area.
