Knowledge of Birth Preparedness and Complications Readiness: An Urban- Rural Comparison of Maternal and Child Health Clinic Attendees in Anambra State, Nigeria

Background: Birth preparedness and complications readiness (BP/CR) remains a key component of safe motherhood programs, articulated to help improve maternal and child health care. This study determined and compared the knowledge of BP/CR among maternal and child health (MCH) clinic attendees in urban and rural areas of Anambra State, Nigeria.

Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive cross sectional comparative study of knowledge of BP/CR among 707 MCH clinic attendees in urban- rural areas of Anambra State, selected by multi-stage sampling technique conducted between January and May 2014. Data were collected using a pre-tested, semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 22. Descriptive data were presented as tables and charts, while associations between variables were determined using chi square test for proportions and Z-test for means. Level of significance was set at p-values 0.05.

Results: Mean ages of respondents were 28. (±5.2) for urban and 29.1(±5.9) for rural. Majority of respondents (54.5%) in the urban, compared to (50.4%) in the rural had fair knowledge of BP (p= 0.109). Also, more respondents (59.5%) in urban and (62.1%) in rural had poor knowledge of CR (p =0.005). Bleeding was the most reported danger sign of pregnancy (73.6% for urban, and 85.2% for rural respondents).

Conclusions: Our study findings showed an overall fair knowledge of BP/CR though better in urban than rural. .Appropriate interventions should be scaled up to improve the knowledge of the women concerning BP/CR.