Birth Preparedness and Complication Readiness among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care Clinics in Public Health Facilities, Harari Region, Eastern Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Nearly three million women are dying each year from complications of pregnancy and childbirth. Most of these deaths are occurring in low and lower-middle-income countries. Evidence indicates that promoting birth preparedness and complication readiness has importance in averting maternal morbidity and mortality. There­fore, this study aimed to assess factors associated with birth preparedness and complication readiness practice among pregnant women attending antenatal care clinics in public health facilities, Harari region, Eastern Ethiopia.

Methods: Facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women attending antenatal care from April 01 to May 30, 2018. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select 419 study-participants. A pretested questionnaire was used to collect data. The data were entered into Epi­Data Version 3.1 and exported to Sta­tistical Package for the Social Sciences Version 21 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regressions were done to identify factors associated with the practice of birth preparedness and complication readiness. The adjusted odds ratio at a 95% confidence interval was used for the final interpretation of statistical significance.

Results: Birth preparedness and complication readiness among pregnant women was 52.1% (95% CI: 47.2, 56.9). Participants’ age ≥35 (AOR=3.62; 95% CI: 1.95, 10.96), being an urban resident (AOR=3.61; 95% CI: 1.46, 8.96), having planned pregnancy (AOR=3.64; 95% CI: 2.17, 6.09), ever heard about birth preparedness and compli­cation readiness (AOR=1.77; 95% CI: 1.08, 2.92), having knowledge about obstetric danger signs during pregnancy (AOR=3.27; 95% CI: 1.88, 5.69), and having knowledge about obstetric danger signs during childbirth (AOR=6.10; 95% CI: 2.60, 14.31) were found to be significantly associated with the practice of birth preparedness and compli­cation readiness.

Conclusion: The proportion of pregnant women who were prepared for birth and complication readiness was low. Women’s age ≥35, urban resident, planned pregnancy, prior information about birth preparedness and compli­cation readiness, having knowledge of obstetric danger signs during pregnancy and childbirth were the positively associ­ated factors. Therefore, health information dissemination on birth preparedness and complication readiness; obstetric danger sign during pregnancy, and childbirth should be provided at the community and institutional level.

Keywords: Antenatal care; Birth preparedness; Complication readiness; Ethiopia; Pregnant women