ASSESSING THE PERCEPTION AND PREVENTIVE STRATEGIES OF MATERNAL MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN IN UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN TEACHING HOSPITAL ILORIN KWARA STATE.

ABSTRACT This study investigated the perceived causes and preventive strategies of maternal morbidity and mortality among pregnant women in University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) Ilorin, Kwara State. The objectives focused on knowledge, perceived causes and preventive strategies of maternal morbidity and mortality. Quantitative, descriptive cross-sectional study was adopted in this study as the primary data were gotten through the administration of questionnaire to selected 102 pregnant women using convenience sampling technique. Data collection was done by use of self-structured questionnaire which was administered. The data was collected and collated into Microsoft Excel and was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 27. The data were analysed descriptively using frequency tables and percentages. Inferential statistics using Chi-Square analysis was conducted to determine the hypothesis. The hypotheses formulated for the study were tested at a 0.05 level of significance. This study revealed that 71.6% respondents have limited knowledge of maternal morbidity and mortality as only 66.7% of participants could correctly define maternal morbidity or identify its indirect causes. Respondents perceived financial constraints, poor access to quality care, inadequate clinical management, pre-existing health conditions, cultural beliefs, and healthcare provider negligence as leading causes of maternal complications. Preventive strategies endorsed included health education, availability of skilled health workers, improved healthcare infrastructure, and women’s empowerment. This study further revealed that There is a significant relationship (p < 0.001) between perceived causes and maternal morbidity and mortality in UITH Ilorin Kwara. Also, preventive strategies significantly have an effect (p = 0.019