title: Relative contributions of socio-cultural variables to the prediction of maternal mortality in Edo South Senatorial District, Nigeria.
abstract: The study examined the extent of contributions of socio-cultural factors to maternal mortality (through survey method). Two thousand one hundred and fifty seven (2,157) females of reproductive age were selected using multi-stage sampling technique. The instrument was a self developed structured and validated questionnaire with a reliability of 0.82. Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and In-depth interview guide were used to complement the instrument. Inferential statistics of multiple regression was employed to test the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. The result showed that the most relevant variables across the two locations (rural and urban) was early marriage/early child bearing (R2 = 0.200; F = 401.40; P = 0.001) followed by educational attainment. Others in descending order were: women decision making power; traditional obstetric care services; female genital mutilation; economic status and access to health care service. This indicates the importance of formulating policies that would focus on attaining high level of literacy among girls.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Edo State. chimarchie@yahoo.co.uk
authors.forename: Chinwe Lucy
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Marchie
authors.forename: Francisca Chika
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Anyanwu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003469:Culture; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008423:Maternal Age; D008428:Maternal Mortality / Q000208:ethnology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D012424:Rural Population; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult