Skilled or traditional birth attendant? Choices of communities in Lukulu District, rural Zambia.
OBJECTIVE
To analyse factors that contribute to the choice of either traditional birth attendants (TBAs) or skilled birth attendants (SBAs) by inhabitants of Zambia's Lukulu District.


METHODS
Cross-sectional descriptive survey.


METHODS
Lukulu District, Western Province, Zambia.


METHODS
1413 participants: parous women, their husbands, village headmen and elderly women.


METHODS
Preferred and actual place of birth.


METHODS
Questionnaires, structured interviews and focus group discussions.


RESULTS
42% of women gave birth in a health facility, assisted by SBAs; 75: prefer to give birth in a health facility; many barriers are to be passed for women to reach a skilled attendant in time.


CONCLUSIONS
Skilled birth attendants are preferred to assist at childbirth in Lukulu District. Transportation problems, sociocultural reasons and unpreparedness still cause the majority of women to turn to traditional birth attendants. Traditional birth attendants should not yet be excluded from safe motherhood programs.
van den Boogaard
Jossy
J
APRIORI (African Poverty Related Infection Oriented Research Initiative), Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, the Netherlands.
Arntzen
Bart
B
Chilwana
Junist
J
Liyungu
Martin
M
Mantingh
Albert
A
Stekelenburg
Jelle
J
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002755:Choice Behavior; D002983:Clinical Competence; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006700:Home Childbirth; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D012423:Rural Health; D000078329:Workforce; D015024:Zambia / Q000453:epidemiology