article · BMC Research Notes
Recognising the warning signs of obstetric complications is vital for pregnant women to seek timely maternal and newborn medical care. A community-based cross-sectional assessment of 563 pregnant women in the Angolela Tera district of Northern Ethiopia evaluated their awareness of these critical indicators. The findings revealed that only 37.5 percent of the participants possessed adequate knowledge regarding obstetric danger signs. Factors linked to higher levels of awareness included having formal education, residing in urban areas, living within a 20-minute walk of a healthcare facility, having a history of two or more previous pregnancies, and having received prior health education. Because a substantial majority of the women surveyed lacked this critical knowledge, the findings highlight the ongoing need for continuous health education programmes and targeted counselling for expectant mothers in the region.
Maternal and newborn survival often depends on the quick identification of medical complications during pregnancy. Understanding the gaps in maternal knowledge helps healthcare providers and community initiatives design targeted health education programmes. Improving outreach to rural women with lower access to formal education and health centres can ensure timely medical intervention and reduce preventable maternal complications.
The abstract does not indicate an immediate commercial application pathway, as it focuses on epidemiological survey data. However, the identified gaps could inform public health organisations, mobile health developers, and non-governmental organisations seeking to design targeted educational content or community counselling tools for expectant mothers in low-resource settings.
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OBJECTIVE: Knowledge of danger signs of obstetric complications is the first essential step in accepting appropriate and timely referral to maternal and newborn care units. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge of obstetric danger signs and associated factors among pregnant women in Angolela Tera district, Northern Ethiopia. A community based cross sectional study was conducted among 563 pregnant women who were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling technique. Data were collected using a pre-tested and interviewer administered structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression analysis were performed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 23. RESULTS: A total of 563 pregnant women were included in the study. About 211 (37.5%) women were knowledgeable about obstetric danger signs. Attending formal education, urban residence, time taken less than 20 min to reach health facility on foot, two or more history of pregnancies and receiving health education were found to be significantly associated with being knowledgeable about obstetric danger signs. A significant proportion of pregnant women in the study area were not knowledgeable about obstetric danger signs. Hence, continuous health education and appropriate counseling to pregnant mothers should be performed.
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DOI: 10.1186/s13104-019-4639-8
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