Attitude towards ultrasound among pregnant women attending antenatal care in Zaria Local Government Area

Abstract

Ultrasonography presently forms an integral part of antenatal care worldwide. It is a common investigative tool in most public and private health facilities in developed and developing countries. Routine obstetric ultrasound has been one of the most important advances in antenatal care worldwide. It is useful in the early detection and monitoring of the conditions that give rise to fetal and maternal compromise and has become an indispensable adjunct to the management efforts of practitioners in this regard. Therefore, pregnant women`s attitude towards the usage of this innovation is paramount for its utilization.

The study determined the attitude toward obstetric ultrasound by pregnant mothers attending antenatal care in Zaria Local Government, Kaduna State. It was cross sectional descriptive study of 200 pregnant women selected through multistage sampling technique. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire, validated questionnaire was administered to each participant to ascertain the attitude towards the usage of ultrasound during pregnancy. Data obtained was analyzed using IBM SPSS 22. 

Most (29.5%) of the respondents were 20-24years old, majority (95.5%) were full time housewives. Majority of the respondents were Hausa (94.5%) and Muslim (96.5%). This study showed that 64.5% of respondents had positive attitude towards ultrasound usage in pregnancy.

There was positive attitude among the respondents in Zaria; towards obstetric scan. This depicts the wide acceptability of ultra-sonography in modern day health care delivery system.

 Keywords: Pregnant mothers, Ultrasound, Antenatal Care, Zaria