THE INFLUENCE OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION ON MATERNAL MORTALITY IN KIBERA SLUM, NAIROBI COUNTY
Keywords:
Intercultural Communication, Maternal Mortality, Cultural Norms, Expectant Mothers, Medical PractitionersAbstract
Purpose: To establish the influence of intercultural communication on maternal mortality in Kibera slum, Nairobi County, Kenya.
Methodology: The study utilized a correlation research design.
Findings: Results revealed that expectant mothers’ living in Kibera slum uphold various cultural norms, which affect intercultural communication between the mothers and medical practitioners negatively. The study found that expectant mothers living in Kibera slum had various expectations about the medical practitioners’ intercultural communication skills and that the medical practitioners often did not meet these expectations. As a result of the expectant mothers expectations regarding the use of intercultural communication about not being met, it affects communication of health information between expectant mothers and medical practitioners. Further, results revealed that expectant mothers have a negative attitude towards the medical practitioners mostly due to fear, which significantly contributed to maternal mortality in Kibera slum.
Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: Conducting a study on the influence of intercultural communication on maternal mortality will assist to show the weight of effective intercultural communication. This study will be of great significance to various groups of people. These include; medical practitioners such as nurses and doctors, policy makers, ministry of health and scholars.
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