ATTITUDE INDICES AS CORRELATES OF MATERNAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES UTILIZATION

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background of the study

Primary health care as a strategy in health care delivery has brought maternal and health care services nearer to the people even to the remotest areas. The increased interest in maternal health care services shown by National agencies in recent years due to health risks associated with the biological process of reproduction which affects naturally all women at various stages of their lives and vulnerability of children to childhood diseases and other illness such as malaria, diarrheal diseases and acute respiratory tract infections etc (Wallace 2007).

Pregnancy and child birth are normally healthy events requiring minimum intervention by health care providers. Inspits of this however, chronic ill health, life threatening complications associated with pregnancy, childbirth and lactation are major causes of morbidity and mortality among women in developing countries (Dagu 2004). The morbidity and mortality rate among children and women is higher in the rural areas than the urban. The data of multiple indicator cluster survey (MICS) and that of National Demographic health survey (2003) shows that Nigeria as failed by large margin to attain the goals of reduction of infant. Mortality rate (IMR), set in the National Programme of Action for survival protection and development of the Nigerian child adopted by the Federal Government in 1992. With the rural areas far worst than the urban areas. The multiple indicator cluster survey of 2003 rate of 704 per 1000,000. Live births, this is twice as high in the rural areas (828 per 1,00,000 Live births (Unicef 2001).

UNICEF in Nation Demographic Health Survey (2003) observed that 37 percent of expectant mothers do not make any ante-nata visit and also do not receive any tetanus toxoid vaccination. One of the main target of governments is to achieve health for all by the year 2000 and beyond.

WHO (2001) stressed that health is a fundamental human right and should be provided in such a way that individual in the communities will have the right to health care where they live and work.

Unicef (2001) stated that the high levels of mortality in young children are mainly due to illness that can be prevented or can be treated. These illness include malaria, diarrhoea and other vaccine preventable diseases, and acate respiratory tract infections.

Namboze (2005) asserted that women in Nigeria suffers premature loss of life as a result of inadequate provision of health facilities ignorance and cultural taboos. According to Unicef’s rating, Nigeria has one of the highest mortality rate in sub Sahara Africa. Maternal mortality rate is about 704 percent per 100,000. As women’s health suffer so does the health of children with infant mortality rate at 105 per 1,000 live birth while under five mortality rate was placed at 178 per 1,000 (Unicef).

Okafor and Rizutto (2004) observed that rural dwellers in Nigeria under-utilize maternal and child health care services not out of choice but as a result of general factors such as distance, cost of care, educational level of mothers, attitude of health care providers and cultural beliefs etc.

Data from earlier studies also showed that optimum utilization of maternal health care services had become a major problems in Nigeria in general and in rural areas in particular. A study by Nginya (2006) show that only 22.5 percent and 31.7 percent of women respectively made use of ante-natal care service in Nigeria. Maternal health care service has suffered serious neglect from the past administrations in Nigeria at the federal, state and local government level.

According to Curr-Hill, Place and Posnett (2007) primary Health care is meant to bring health care services closer to the rural areas, His meant to also achieve a level of health that will enable all Nigerians to achieve socially and economically productive lives. This strategy was adopted to improve health status of the populace of which Nigeria like other countries has committed to achieve (FMOH 2004). This research is therefore carried out to investigate those indices affecting utilization of maternal health care services in AKpabuyo local Government Area of Cross River State.

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