Adoption Of Maternal And Child Health Practices Amongst Rural And Urban Mothers In Selected LGAs Of Cross River State, Nigeria.

Abstract

Background:
The level of adoption of key maternal and child health practices is a critical indicator of the level of utilization of health services in developed and developing nations.

Aim: This study was carried out to examine the adoption of key maternal and child health practices amongst rural and urban mothers in Cross River State, Nigeria.

Method: A comparative analytical cross-sectional study was conducted amongst mothers with under-five children in rural and urban LGAs areas of Cross River State, using a multi-stage sampling technique. Data was collected using a semi-structured interviewer
administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 21.0.

Results: The overall mean age of the mothers was 23.1+ 4.6 years, with a statistically significant difference in the key maternal health practices between the urban and rural areas (P=0.001), Regarding child health practices, preparedness for newborn, giving of colostrum, up-to-date immunization for under-five (U5) were statistically significant with an urban preponderance (P<0.001). On the flip side, female circumcision was statistically significantly higher among the U-5 in rural areas compared to the urban (P<0.001).

Conclusion and recommendation:
The adoption of maternal and child health practices is largely dependent on the socio-demographic characteristics of the population as most key maternal and child health practices are more commonly practiced in urban compared to rural settings. Therefore, health education on key maternal and child health practices as well as concerted efforts geared towards discouraging harmful traditional practices especially in the rural communities should be advocated.