AWARENESS OF THE CAUSES OF MATERNAL DEATH AMONG PREGNANT MOTHERS IN RURAL AREAS OF SOUTH-SOUTH NIGERIA

Maternal mortality is an important issue that should not be neglected because death of a mother is like losing a nation. Most women in the core rural areas are not aware about the causes of maternal mortality and this could lead to mortality that would have been prevented. The aim of the study is to evaluate the level of awareness about the causes of maternal mortality in core rural areas of South-South, Nigeria. This was a cross-sectional study involving 480 males who were within the age of less than 20 to greater than 40 years. A well-structured questionnaire was administered to participants. Each participant had one questionnaire to fill appropriately and independently after instructions were given to them by the Research Assistants. The study lasted for a period of 3 months. The study revealed that most (26.0) of the respondents were between the 35 to 39 years of age. The level of education of respondents showed that 4.0% had no formal education, 14.5% had primary education, 64.5% had secondary education while 17.5% had tertiary education. Majority (81.0%) of the respondents agreed that they are not aware of the causes of maternal mortality and 65.0% said no enlightenment campaign has been carried out by the community or Government. The study revealed that 62.0% of the respondents do not have primary health centre in their community and 97.0% of the respondents have not gave birth in the health centre. Majority (98.0%) of the respondents patronized traditional birth attendants. Many (62.0%) of the respondents have interest in seeking healthcare services. The statistical analysis was carried out using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 23.