Factors influencing preference for traditional birth attendant services compared to hospital care among reproductive age women in ugbekun community Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the factors influencing the preference of TBAs services compared to hospital care among reproductive age women in Ugbekun community, Benin City. Descriptive cross sectional research design was adopted for this study. A sample of 392 women was drawn from 19,542 women using purposive sampling technique. A validated questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics of frequency, mean, standard deviation and hypothesis was tested at 0.05 level of significance using analysis of variance (Anova). The study revealed that majority of the women (72.2%) had high level of knowledge about TBAs and their practices. Factors influencing preference for TBA services were cost of services, easy access to TBAs, their community patronage of TBAs as a norm, poor road to health facility, non- availability of modern services in their community, their belief that TBAs have better ways of caring for them, poverty, low level of education, marital status and non-involvement in decision making about health care. Cost of TBAs services p=0.016, marital status p=0.029 and nonavailability of modern services p=0.004 were found to be statistically significant when compared with respondents’ level of education. Nurses and midwives should health educate the mothers to correct misconceptions about hospital care/services. Government should provide facilities and relevant infrastructure needed to ensure availability of maternal health care services in the communities for the women