Mothers Expectation of Maternal Health Service in Enugu State, South East, Nigeria – Preferences of Mothers in Urban and Rural Areas

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: About 830 mothers die daily from pregnancy and pregnancy-related events. Over 99% of these deaths are preventable. Access to quality maternal health services is very important to prevent these deaths. Maternal expectations are an important variable that determines the usage of maternal health services. Objective: The objective is to determine and compare the expectations of mothers in urban and rural areas of Enugu State, South East, Nigeria, regarding maternal health services. Methodology: This community-based comparative, cross-sectional study was carried out among 1681 respondents selected by multistage sampling technique. The data were analyzed using the Chi-square test of significance, Student’s t -test, Bi-variant, and logistic regression, at a 95% confidence interval, and the P value was set at 0.05. This study was carried out from August 2022 to October 2022. Results: Majority (85%) of the respondents in urban areas, and rural areas (72%) were more than 25 years of age. Majority of the respondents (66.8% to 90.1%) in both locations had low expectations concerning the overall maternal health services to be provided at the facilities. However, mothers in the urban areas reported more expectations than those in the rural areas. Conclusion and Recommendations: Maternal expectations regarding the overall services given at health facilities in urban and rural areas were low. However, maternal expectations were higher in urban areas than in the rural areas. There should be an improvement in the health system to enable women to have a better perception of maternal expectations. This will encourage the women to utilize health facilities for their maternal health services.