KNOWLEDGE, PERCEPTION AND UTILIZATION OF TRADITIONAL BIRTH ATTENDANTS’ SERVICES BY WOMEN OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE IN SELECTED HEALTH FACILITIES IN EKITI STATE

ABSTRACT

Background: Maternal health and women’s reproductive lifecycle is a very crucial period and spans several stages from the pregnancy, childbirth or delivery, postnatal period and family planning stages which are provided by skilled birth attendants. Most women in the developing countries give birth outside the health facilities with the help of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and studies have shown this as one of the major causes of maternal mortality especially in the rural area. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, perception and utilization of traditional birth attendants by women of reproductive age in some selected health facilities in Ekiti State. Methodology: Descriptive cross- sectional design was adopted in the study in collection of required information from the respondents. The instrument used for the collection of data was a structured questionnaire. Using test retests method on thirty - eight women of the study population, Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) with a range between 0.7 and 0.9 was taken as appropriate. Formal permission to conduct the study was obtained from the appropriate authority and informed consent was taken from the respondents. Data collected was analyzed with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 26.0 for windows. Results: Findings from the study indicated women had a fair level of knowledge (47.4%) of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) and the extent of utilization of TBA services by women was low. The attitude of women is positive based on trust and familiarity with TBAs. A significant relationship was shown between knowledge scores and level of education (P<0.05) of women. Likewise, it was revealed that there is significant relationship between social demographic characteristics of women and TBA utilization. Conclusion: Utilization of TBA services by women of reproductive age in the rural communities in Nigeria is influenced and promoted by other factors in addition to socio-demographic factors of women. Measures should be made on implementing the new role of TBAs as recommended for effective collaboration and support in maternal health achievement goal.