Socio-cultural factors affecting pregnancy outcomes among the Ibani of Rivers State, Nigeria.

Abstract

The Ibani of Rivers State, Nigeria, have a high incidence of maternal and infant mortality/morbidity, which has been linked to the perception, attitude and practices of the people with regard to pregnancy and childbirth. This study examines the process leading to pregnancy outcomes among the Ibani. Through all interdisciplinary approach, it provides an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of the association between pregnancy outcome and child spacing; source of antenatal care; and access to and use of antenatal health care facilities. Data are collected through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, case studies, observation and survey questionnaires. The findings indicate that pregnancy outcome among the Ibani is not necessarily derived from spousal communication and gender discourse, because women whose husbands were solely responsible for decision making on child spacing recorded higher type-1(mother and child survival) outcome (87.7 per cent) than those who shared decision making with their spouse. There is no consistent relationship between the amount of time spent on getting to the source of antenatal care and pregnancy outcomes because Ibani women who spent between 31 and 59 minutes to get to the source of antenatal had more type-1 outcomes than those who spent about 30 minutes. Other factors affecting pregnancy outcomes, among the Ibani of Rivers State, include communal and individual values, norms and practices, and their persistent influence signals a need to investigate their separate and combined influences on pregnancy outcomes. The study contributes to a demographic understanding of how macro-level factors impinge upon individual-level events like pregnancy outcomes.