Cultural orientation and alternative health seeking behaviour of pregnant women in Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

Pregnant women constitute a very important group requiring effective and efficient health care delivery system. In most cases, pregnant women would require the expert knowledge and attention of doctors and other health professionals who have been trained to attend to them. Maternal health and health seeking behaviour as a concept in the past decades were perceived as solely a medical concern, neglecting the possible influence of cultural orientation on the dynamics of maternal health. Most African societies hold a shared belief and perception that conception, pregnancy, labour and delivery are events that are mysterious. Therefore, this study by its design and approach seeks to examine the relationship between cultural orientation and the alternative health care seeking behaviours of pregnant women in Kwara State, Nigeria. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey using qualitative and quantitative methods for data collection with the use of questionnaire as instrument to generate quantitative data and In-depth interviews to source for qualitative data. Eight hundred and seventeen respondents participated. The findings of the study revealed that cultural orientation has significant relationship with the health seeking behaviour of pregnant women in the study with pregnant women displaying their alternative health seeking behaviour. This means that the cultural orientation of pregnant women in Kwara State influences their alternative health seeking behaviour. It is recommended that the health seeking behaviour of pregnant women in Kwara State for institutional category must be upgraded with the health system made more robust and dynamic to meet the real needs of the pregnant women. The health seeking behaviour of the pregnant women could be better as there is ray of hope based on the findings that they displayed a positive health seeking behaviour, attitude, as well as practices. Health practitioners and policy makers should encourage pregnant women in their localities through sensitization, enlightenment and reducing the cost of public medical health treatments.