ASSESSMENT OF THE PROVISION OF SAFE MOTHERHOOD PRACTICES IN NSUKKA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ENUGU STATE

The study was aimed at assessing the extent to which the safe motherhood practices are provided in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria. To guide the study, five research questions were formulated with the intention of assessing the various causes of maternal mortality among child-bearing mothers, the extent to which safe motherhood practices are provided during the ante-natal, natal and post-natal periods and the extent to which strategies are employed for improving the provision of safe motherhood practices in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State. Also, five null hypotheses were tested at .05 level of significance and used to guide the study. Descriptive survey research design was used. Stratified random sampling technique was employed to compose a sample of 437 respondents from a population of 664 members of the registered expectant mothers that attended ante-natal, natal and post-natal care services in public hospitals and health centres in both rural and urban areas of Nsukka Local Government Area. The instrument used for the study was a 44-item structured questionnaire titled Assessment of the Provision of Safe Motherhood Practices Questionnaire (APSMPQ). The instrument was face validated by three experts; one in measurement and evaluation and two in community development, all from University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Its reliability was ensured using Cronbach alpha estimate. Reliability co-efficient of .84 was obtained. Frequencies and percentages, weighted mean and standard deviation were used in analyzing the collected data. Administration of the instrument to the respondents was through direct delivery technique. Findings of the study revealed that the safe motherhood practices were provided to a moderate extent during the ante-natal, natal and post-natal periods. All the five null hypotheses were accepted showing that there were no significant differences between the mean ratings of expectant mothers in the rural areas and their counterparts in the urban areas on the extent to which safe motherhood practices were provided during the ante-natal, natal and post-natal periods in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations were proffered which included that skilled health attendants should educate the child-bearing mothers and the community about their rights as clients, and that the state ministry of health should deploy trained nurses to provide maternal and child health care services by sensitizing communities about availability of daily maternal and child health care services.