Knowledge of obstetric danger signs and associated factors among pregnant women in Erer district, Somali region, Ethiopia

Abstract

BackgroundKnowledge of danger signs of obstetric complications is first step in the appropriate and timely referral to essential obstetric care. Although women’s knowledge about the obstetric danger signs is important for improving maternal and child health, little is known about the current knowledge and influencing factors in pastoral community of Ethiopia. This study, therefore, aims to fill this gap by assessing the current level of knowledge and associated factors of pregnant women living in Erer district of Somali region, Ethiopia.MethodsA community based, cross-sectional study was conducted from April 7 to 21, 2014. The study involved 666 pregnant women residing in the district. Two-stage sampling technique was used to select the study subjects. Data about women’s socio-demographic information, reproductive history, knowledge of the danger signs, exposure to media and interventions were collected by interviewer administered questionnaires. A respondent who spontaneously mentioned at least two of the danger signs during each of the three periods was considered knowledgeable; otherwise not. Descriptive, bivariate, then multivariable logistic regression were done.ResultsSix hundred thirty two pregnant women were interviewed with a response rate of 94.9 %. Only 98 (15.5 %) respondents were knowledgeable about obstetric danger signs. Urban residence [AOR = 2.43; 95 % CI (1.40, 4.21)], women who had been pregnant five or more times [AOR = 6.65; 95 % CI (2.48, 17.89)] and antenatal care utilization [AOR = 5.44; 95 % CI (3.26, 9.09)] were associated with being knowledgeable about obstetric danger signs during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum.ConclusionA significant proportion of pregnant women in Erer district do not have knowledge of obstetric danger signs. The implication is that lack of recognition may lead to delay in seeking care. Area of residence, gravidity and antenatal care service utilization are independently associated with the knowledge of women on obstetric danger signs in Erer district, a pastoralist community. Thus, intervention programs aiming to improve women’s knowledge about obstetric danger signs and symptoms should consider the factors independently associated.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12905-016-0309-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Awareness of danger signs in pregnancy and post-partum period among antenatal mothers admitted to General Hospital Matara

“…7,14 Also, in consistence with previous studies conducted in Ethiopia, Malaysia and Nigeria, a good level of awareness on danger signs was significantly associated with higher educational levels of both pregnant mother and her husband and employment status of the pregnant mother. 7,9,11,13,14 As these variables are somewhat interconnected, the observed associations could be due to potential confounding effect mediated through high maternal health literacy.…”

“…Results comparable to the present study were observed in some settings, 14 whereas in other settings a significantly higher knowledge of danger signs was observed among urban population. 8,9 This difference could be partially explained by the marked discrepancy of the accessibility of health care and availability of other facilities such as electronic media between different sectors in those countries. 15 Contrary to the findings of studies conducted in Northwest and Somali regions of Ethiopia, a higher proportion of primi mothers in this study had a good knowledge of danger signs compared to multiparous mothers.…”

“…7,8,9 Majority of the mothers in this sample were knowledgeable about few common danger signs. Bleeding was known by more than 3/4 th of the sample and pain and dribbling were identified by more than half of the mothers.…”

“…Corresponding to the findings of this study, bleeding was the commonest danger sign identified by women in all most all studies in developing countries and knowledge about other important danger signs was significantly low. 9,11,12 It is important to note that, a considerable proportion (15.2%) of mothers in this study did not know any danger sign. Similar findings from studies done in other settings such as Tigray region of Ethiopia (>30%) and Southeast Nigeria (17%) indicate that such lack of awareness is a common occurrence.…”

“…6 Though the important obstetric danger signs must be a common knowledge among women in reproductive age, the majority of pregnant and post-partum women worldwide have unsatisfactory level of knowledge on the danger signs. 7,8,9 There is a paucity of research evidence on level of knowledge about obstetric danger signs among women in the Sri Lankan context. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the level of knowledge regarding obstetric danger signs and identify related factors among antenatal mothers attending a secondary care institution in Matara.…”