Attitude Towards Birth Preparedness and Complication Readiness among Urban Antenatal Attendees in Southern Nigeria

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the attitude of antenatal attendees towards birth preparedness and complication readiness(BPACR) in Southern Nigeria and factors associated with a positive attitude.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out among 405 pregnant women in their third trimester attending antenatal care (ANC) in Benin City. The attitude of the respondents was measured using the composite variable of the 8 items in a Likert scale. Analysis was with SPSS v21. The binary logistic regression model was fitted, and statistically significant association of variables was determined based on the adjusted odds ratio (OR) at 95% confidence interval (CI) and level of statistical significance at P < 0.05.
Results: Overall, 368 (90.9%) of the attendees displayed a positive attitude to BPACR. They displayed a more positive attitude towards planning for place to give birth 402 (99.3%) and poorest towards partner’s participation in accompanying them to ANC visits 189 (46.7%). The age groups 25–29 (OR = 4.535; 95% CI = 1.581–13.006) and 30–34 (OR = 3.506; 95% CI = 1.257–9.778) and multiparity (OR = 2.564; 95% CI = 1.022–6.433) were predictive of positive attitude towards BPACR.
Conclusion: This study found a positive attitude towards BPACR among the majority of the attendees which was poorest in domains relating to partner’s participation. Their age and parity were found to be predictive of their positive attitude. ANC services should be made available to provide the appropriate health information. Women should be counselled on the major roles of men in reproductive health to improve their attitude towards male involvement in maternity care.