RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE DELAY IN MAKING A TIMELY DECISION TO SEEK MEDICAL ASSISTANCE AND PERINATAL MORTALITY IN LURAMBI AND BUTERE SUB-COUNTIES, KAKAMEGA COUNTY, KENYA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47604/gjhs.1256Keywords:
Delay, Emergency care, newborn care, Perinatal mortality, Kakamega CountyAbstract
Purpose: To determine the relationship between the delays in making a timely decision to seek medical assistance and perinatal mortality in Lurambi and Butere sub-counties, Kakamega County, Kenya.
Methodology: A community based retrospective cross-sectional research design was adopted using mixed methods for data collection. A total of 520 respondents were randomly selected from 40 out 830 villages of Lurambi and Butere sub-counties using multistage cluster sampling. The respondents were interviewed from November 2017 to March 2018. Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS Version 21 software. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were used. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were applied and adjusted odds ratio was used to determine the strength of association. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.
Findings: Education level (p<0.02) and employment status (p<0.03) of mothers influenced perinatal mortality. Wrong action taken during an experience of antenatal complication (AOR= 0.6; 95% CI: 0.1 - 0.9; p = 0.03), emergency unpreparedness (AOR=0.1; 95%CI: 0.04-0.42; p=0.0007) and, lack of recognition of newborn danger signs (AOR=01; 95%CI: 01-0.4; p<0.0001) were significantly associated with perinatal mortality. Birth preparedness and complication readiness during pregnancy and childbirth, based on the study findings reduce delay in obtaining care. Strengthening maternal education and social support system along the continuum of care during pregnancy, delivery and post-natal periods is paramount to ensure newborn survival.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice, and Policy: Unique factors are that apart from medical interventions, strengthening maternal education and social support system along the continuum of care during pregnancy, delivery and post-natal periods is paramount to ensure newborn survival in Lurambi and Butere sub counties. Interventions to promote informed decisions regarding maternal and newborn care with a strong social support system are critical. These results contribute to maternal and newborn health care practice and policy change that if implemented could result in a reduction of perinatal mortalities.
Downloads
References
Anyanwu, F.C., & Okeke, S.R. (2014). Health Care Provider and Client Satisfaction: Transforming Health Care Delivery System for Improved Health Care Seeking Behaviour. J. Mod. Educ.
Behal M, Vinayak R. (2015). Maternal risk factors for perinatal mortality. Indian Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology Research
Bhutta, Z.A., Yakoob, M.Y., Lawn, J.E., Salam, R.A., Paul, V.K., & Walker, N., (2011). The Lancet's Stillbirths Series steering committee. Stillbirths: what difference can we make and at what cost? Lancet; published online April 14.
Blencowe, H., Cousens, S., Bianchi, J.F., Say, L., Chou, D. & Mathers, C. (2016). National, regional, and worldwide estimates of stillbirth rates in 2015 with trends since 1995: a systematic analysis. Lancet Global Health.
District Health Information System (2016).
Echoka, E., Makokha, A., Dubourg, D., Kombe, Y., Nyandieka, L. & Byskov J. (2014). Barriers to emergency obstetric care services: accounts of survivors of life threatening obstetric complications in Malindi District, Kenya. Pan African Medical Journal
Friberg, I., Kinney M.V., Lawn J.E, Kerber K.J., Odubanjo M.O., Bergh A.M., Black. R.E., (2010). Sub-Saharan Africa's mothers, newborns, and children: how many lives could be saved with targeted health interventions? PLoS Medical Journal.
Gakidou, E., Cowling, K., Lozano, R., &Murray, C.J.L (2010). Increased educational attainment and its effect on child mortality in 175 countries between 1970 and 2009: a systematic analysis Lancet.
Herbert, H.K., Lee, A.C, Chandran, A., Rudan, I., & Baqui, A.H. (2012). Care seeking for neonatal illness in low-and middle-income countries: a systematic review. Medical Journal.
Hutchinson, K. (2016). Identifying behavioral, demographic, and clinical risk factors for delayed access to emergency obstetrical care in preeclamptic women in Port au Prince, Haiti. Boston University Theses & Dissertations.
Kenya Demographic Health Survey, (2014). Kenya National Bureau of Statistics
(KNBS) and ICF Macro. Kenya Demographic and Health Survey.
Kinney, M.V., Kerber, K.J., Black, R.E., Cohen, B., Nkrumah, F., Coovadia, H, & Lawn, E.J. (2010). Sub-Saharan Africa's mothers, newborns, and children: where and why do they die? Medical Journal.
Lawn, J.E., Blencowe, H., Pattinson, R., Cousens, S., Kumar, R., Ibiebele, I., Stanton, C.(2011). Stillbirths: where? When? Why? How to make the data count? Lancet series
Lawn, J.E., & Kinney, M. (2016). Stillbirths: An Executive Summary for The Lancet's Series.
Memon, Z.A., Khan, G.N., Soofi, S.B., Baig, I.Y., &Bhutta, Z.A. (2015). Impact of a community-based perinatal and newborn preventive care package on perinatal and neonatal mortality in a remote mountainous district inNorthern Pakistan. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth
Ministry of Health, Kenya (2016). Kenya Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) Investment Framework. Nairobi, Kenya
Morakinyo, O. M., & Fagbamigbe, A. F. (2017). Neonatal, infant and under-five mortalities in Nigeria: An examination of trends and drivers (2003-2013).
Mukasa, Kabakyenga, Senkungu, Ngonzi, Kyalimpa, Roosmalen, ( 2013).: Uterine rupture in a teaching hospital in Mbarara, western Uganda, unmatched case- control study. Reproductive Health
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Catherine Mutonyi Simiyu, Mary Kipmerewo , John Arudo

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.