A Qualitative Assessment of Environmental Factors in Maternal Health in Rural Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

In spite of many approaches towards improving maternal health, there is still a slow decline in maternal mortality and morbidity in less developed areas. There are at least 529,000 maternal deaths in the world annually. These deaths are almost equally divided between Africa and Asia. This situation is still prevalent despite several programmes introduced as interventions to check this trend. One of such programmes is the “safe motherhood initiative”, which was introduced as strategic interventions to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity in Nigeria. The safe motherhood interventionist programmes have either not been effective or are misdirected in addressing the issue of maternal morbidity and mortality in Nigeria. These deaths, as well as disabilities therefore, suggest that maternal health is not a simple consequence of reproductive risks alone, but an outcome of a host of maternal health conditions including environmental factors. The study explored women assessment of those environmental factors affecting their health. A sample of 823 respondents was drawn from a total population of 842,561. Women maintained that factors exposing them to maternal risk included among others household sanitation condition, sources of drinking water, toilet and waste disposal. It is instructive that the exposure of women to harm can be avoided through the improvement of the household environment where they live and operate.