2024/07/13 by Addah, Abednigo Ojanerohan, Ibrahim, Isa Ayuba, Ikeanyi, Eugene Maduabuchukwu
#Abdominal massage #Maternal mortality #Niger Delta #Skilled Providers #Traditional Birth Attendants
paper · doi:10.60787/tnhj.v21i1.485
Background: Abdominal massage (AM) is an age-long cultural practice among pregnant women in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. With its attendant complications it is a major contributor to maternal morbidity and mortality. This study investigates its current prevalence and determinants among pregnant women attending Antenatal clinic(ANC) in the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, Nigeria. Methods: Using a self-administered, structured questionnaire data was collected from 319 pregnant women randomly selected from women attending ANC in the hospital. The prevalence of AM was defined by proportion of women who ever had AM in pregnancy. The predictors of the occurrence of AM were identified using binary logistic regression. Results: Majority of respondents were urban settlers (70.5%), multiparous (60.2%), self-employed women (41.7%) with secondary education as highest educational attainment (48.6%). The prevalence of AM was 70.5%. Pain in past labors was the most common reason for seeking AM (42.3%) and also the most frequent complication in labor (5.0%) following AM. The predictors of AM identified include husband support (OR – 4.91; 95% CI: 2.93 – 25.89;p – 0.006), when source of information is parents (OR – 6.92; 95% CI: 3.46 – 135.85;p < 0.001) and relatives (OR – 17.05; 95% CI: 2.17 – 134.2; p – 0.007). Ethnicity and highest level of education were also identified as predictors of AM. Conclusion: Findings from this study shows that AM is a deep-rooted cultural practice that is supported by established traditional institutions like elders and the family unit among the Ijaw ethnic extraction in Nigeria.