Rural Kenyan men’s awareness of danger signs of obstetric complications

Alice Dunn, Sayeed Haque, Michael Innes

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    10 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Background: For many women in Kenya, their husbands act as gate-keepers to access of healthcare services. Awareness of the danger signs of
    obstetric complications is the essential first step in accepting appropriate and timely referral to obstetric care. The objectives of this study were to
    assess men’s awareness of the danger signs of obstetric complications, and to identify any associated demographic factors. Methods: A crosssectional
    study using a non-validated questionnaire was completed by 167 men with a wife or partner that had been pregnant in the last 36
    months. The study took place in Muhoroni, in the Nyanza province of Kenya. Statistical comparisons were done using Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-
    Whitney and the Spearman’s correlation coefficient. Results: Men displayed good knowledge of the danger signs of obstetric complications
    (median, 9/10; range 0-10; IQR, 7-10), with 92.2% (n=154) of participants recognizing severe abdominal pain, 91.6% (n=153) recognizing
    absence of foetal movement, and 90.4% (n=151) recognizing long labour as obstetric danger signs. More educated participants were significantly
    more knowledgeable than less educated participants (Kruskal-Wallis H=14.47; df=3; p=0.002). Conclusion: Participants were very proficient in
    identifying the danger signs of obstetric complications, with better knowledge in more educated men. Maternal mortality across Kenya remains
    high, however, so assessing knowledge nationally, and researching whether men are translating this knowledge into action would be
    recommended.
    Original languageEnglish
    Number of pages9
    JournalPan African Medical Journal
    Publication statusPublished - 14 Nov 2011

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