Knowledge of Antenatal and Obstetric Care among Women of Childbearing Age Group in Some LGAs in Kaduna State, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47514/kjg.2025.07.01.004Keywords:
Antenatal care, Maternal Mortality, Women, ChildbearingAbstract
The knowledge of antenatal care (ANC) among pregnant women has played a major role in the reduction of maternal and perinatal mortality in women of reproductive age, yet the global burden is still high in many developing countries, including Nigeria. This study aimed to investigate the level of knowledge of ANC and awareness of health services among women in the reproductive age group in six LGAs in Kaduna State, Nigeria. A total of 863 women were interviewed. The study used descriptive statistics in SPSS v20 and prevalence ranking to analyze the data. The results revealed that the age distribution showed that the mean age of the respondents was 25.8 ±6.4 years. The majority (48%) was between 25 and 34 years, with 18.8% between 35 – 39 years, 6.5% older than 45 years, and 5.0% under 19 -24 years. Varying levels of awareness of each activity carried out during ANC were recorded, with BP check ranking highest, 78.8 %. This was closely followed by 67.2% and 58.6% representing those who agreed to be aware of education on breastfeeding, family planning, and nutritional care. The reason behind the high level of awareness in this study might be a result of high literacy levels. Effective strategies to encourage women’s education, coupled with improvements in ANC quality, are essential in combating maternal and perinatal mortality in women.
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