CHAPTER ONE
Introduction
Background to the study
Maternal mortality is a serious public health problem especially in African countries including Nigeria and Enugu state in particular. Maternal mortality rates in many countries have remained essentially a public health challenge. Worldwide, over 500,000 women of childbearing age die of complications related to pregnancy and childbirth each year. Over 99 per cent of these deaths occur in developing countries such as Nigeria (World Health Organization-WHO 2007). At least 150,000 African women die of pregnancy related complications each year and the number of maternal deaths continues to rise each year in many countries (WHO 2001). Maternal mortality has generated great concern among United Nations (UN) and International Agencies as well as National Governments in 3rd world countries like Nigeria (Onuzulike, 2006).
WHO estimates that at least 600,000 women worldwide die every year from pregnancy related causes, though the rate is difficult to calculate with accuracy (Clark, 2002). Partnership for Transforming Health Systems-PATHS(2005), stated that everyday, at least 1,450 women worldwide die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth, that is a minimum of 600,000 women dying every year .The majority of these deaths (almost 99%) occur in Asia and Sub-Sahara Africa and less than one per cent in the developed world. PATHS further stated that life time risk of maternal death is 1 in 75, in developed country like America it is 1 in 2,500, while in West Africa it is 1 in 13 (Khalid 2006). This alarming situation of the maternal deaths in the world may not exclude Nigeria.
Nigeria’s maternal mortality rate continues at unacceptably high rate. Royston and Armstrong (1989), reported that maternal mortality ratio in Nigeria is 800 in 100,000 live births. Audu (2010) estimated Nigeria maternal mortality ratio at 1,500 per 100,000 live births. With this figure, Nigeria accounts for 10 per cent of the world’s maternal deaths. According to State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy-Seeds (2004), in Enugu State, the maternal mortality rate for the South East zone was 286 per 100,000 live births, North West 1549 per 100,000 live births in the year 2000. Maternal mortality rates are twice as high as in rural setting as they are in urban settings. It has been estimated that 1:18 women of childbearing age in Nigeria face a life time risk of dying from pregnancy related causes compared to 1:2400 in Europe, 1:5100 in U.K and 1:7,700 in Canada (PATHS, 2005). From record, it has been shown that Nigeria is one of the countries with highest maternal mortality ratios in the world.
Maternal death has been defined as the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of delivery, miscarriage or termination of pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes (Lewis & Drife, 2001).The complications of pregnancy may be experienced during pregnancy or delivery itself or may occur up to 42 days following childbirth. Maternal mortality in the context of the present study is defined as the death of a woman during pregnancy, in labour or first six weeks after delivery or termination of pregnancy from causes directly due to pregnancy or to conditions aggravated by pregnancy.
| Project details | Contents |
|---|---|
| Number of Pages | 139 pages |
| Chapter one | Introduction |
| Chapter two | Literature review |
| Chapter three | methodology |
| Chapter four | Data analysis |
| Chapter five | Summary,discussion & recommendations |
| Reference | Reference |
| Questionnaire | Questionnaire |
| Appendix | Appendix |
| Chapter summary | 1 to 5 chapters |
| Available document | PDF and MS-word format |
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