Background: Danger signs of pregnancy are alerts of obstetric complications which commonly occur from mid to late pregnancy and can lead to maternal and/or fetal morbidity/mortality if appropriate care is not sort in a timely manner. Delay in seeking care is one of the key factors leading to maternal death, which can be associated with poor knowledge on obstetric danger signs. In Cameroon, published data on the assessment of knowledge of danger signs in pregnancy is rare, despite the burden of maternal morbidity and mortality. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of danger signs during pregnancy and health care seeking behaviours among women attending antenatal care at the Buea and Limbe Regional Hospitals, Cameroon. Methods: This was a hospital based, cross sectional study, conducted at the Antenatal Care unit of Buea and Limbe Regional Hospitals from 24th February 2020 to 24th May 2020. Convenient sampling was used to recruit participants, and data was collected using a structured questionnaire with closed and open-ended questions. Data analysis was done using SPSS Version 25. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the association between dependent and independent variables. Statistical significance was set at a 95% CI, with a P-value < 0.05. Results: A total of 400 pregnant women were enrolled in study, 117(29.3%) had experienced danger signs during pregnancy and reported the healthcare seeking behaviours after recognizing the danger sign. Among those who recognized danger signs, majority 91(77.8%) visited a healthcare facility. Almost two-thirds 246(61.5%) of respondents had poor knowledge of danger signs. The most commonly mentioned danger sign was vaginal bleeding 257(64.25%). Women who were older than 19 years (AOR=3.96; 95%CI: 2.8-4.1, P=0.006), and women who attended at least high school (AOR=3.02; 95%CI: 1.7-5.3), P= 0.001) were associated with good knowledge of danger signs. Conclusion: Knowledge of danger signs during pregnant was poor among antenatal care attendees in both hospitals. Age older than 19 years and at least high school attendance was associated with good knowledge. Also, women took appropriate healthcare seeking actions after recognizing danger signs during pregnancy. Thus, intervention programs aiming to improve women’s knowledge on pregnancy danger signs should be intensified during antenatal care visits.
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