Incidence Of Maternal And Child Mortality
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Incidence Of Maternal And Child Mortality
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Maternal and child mortality are not novel topics in the social and medical sciences. They both pose major hazards to human survival, particularly among future generations. It is a common adage that the health of a society’s women and youth determines its destiny.
The survival of society and the economy is heavily dependent on these two groups; therefore, their health and security are critical in order to avoid feelings of grief, depression, and loss of life. According to Myles (1953):
The maternal mortality rate is the number of deaths registered during the year of women dying from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth per 1,000 registered total (live and still births), whereas the infant/child mortality rate is the number of deaths registered during the year of age per 1,000 registered births.
This means that maternal mortality refers to deaths caused by difficulties during pregnancy, labour, or childbirth, whereas infant/child mortality refers to any death occurring before the age of one or five.
In contrast, the tenth international classification of diseases (ICD) of the year described maternal death as:
A woman’s death while pregnant or within days of termination of pregnancy, regardless of the duration and location of the pregnancy, from any cause connected to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes. (pp. 2-3).
The American Medical Association (1954) defines maternal mortality rate as follows:
A woman’s death while pregnant or within 90 days of the termination of the pregnancy, regardless of the duration of the pregnancy at the time of termination or the technique used to end it. (p. 4).
There are numerous factors that contribute to maternal and child mortality in developing countries, including complications during pregnancy and childbirth, haemorrhage, which is severe bleeding that typically occurs during postpartum and is unpredictable, sudden, and more dangerous when a woman is anaemic.
If quick treatment is not provided, the loss of blood might result in death. Another risk that might lead to maternal and childbirth complications is protracted and obstructed labour. “Poverty exists when people lack the means to satisfy their basic needs.”
These needs, when narrowly defined, are “those needs necessary for survival,” or more broadly, those needs reflecting the prevalent level of living in the community.
Poverty does, in fact, pose a hazard to women of reproductive age in Jos North. This high level of poverty hinders their access to health care, contributing to a higher rate of maternal and child mortality in Nigeria, particularly in Jos North.
At the close of the twentieth century, Sub-Saharan Africa still had high maternal and child death rates, and many governments had failed to achieve the objective of safe motherhood.
A documentary program on Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) on May 3, 2007, revealed that malaria fever is extremely dangerous to pregnant women and children, and is more lethal than HIV/AIDS. Malaria is said to kill as many of these groups in one year as HIV/AIDS does in 15 years.
According to Dr. Adekunle (an NTA discussant), Africa accounts for more than 80 percent of the 270 to 400 million clinical cases. Similarly, on March 30, 2007, another broadcast on the same channel (NTA) claimed that malaria fever kills 300,000 Nigerian children under the age of five, as well as eleven out of every hundred pregnant women.
Aside from the death rate from malaria fever among pregnant women and children, Africa Independent Television (AIT) announced on August 6, 2007 at 8:00 p.m. that Nigeria spends more than 130 billion naira on malaria control. Alubo (1997) stated that:
Women in Nigeria face a variety of illnesses and disorders, including the danger of abrupt death after childbirth. Obstructed labour, uterine infection, anaemia, ectopic pregnancy, and cepsis are the most common causes of unexpected mortality during childbirth.
According to Alubo (1997), these issues contribute to maternal mortality during delivery and after childbirth. All of the criteria identified by Alubo, as well as prior presentations of the idea under consideration, demonstrated that women face undue difficulty during and after pregnancy.
To be clear, many factors and complications can contribute to maternal and child mortality, as previously stated, but the impact of poverty on maternal and child mortality is of particular interest, and it is of sociological importance to identify how poverty affects the health of the mother and child, as well as the government’s specific responses.
1.2 A Brief Historical Background of Jos North
Jos North Area Council has boundaries with Jos South Local Government Area in the south and east, Bassa Local Government Area in the west, and Turo Local Government Area of Bauchi State in the north.
Jos North metropolis is made up of one district, Gwong, and fourteen (14) wards, namely Abba Na Shehu, Ibrahim Kashim, Jos Jarawa, Gangere, Vandapuye, Tafawa Belewa, Jenta Apata, Jenta Adamu, Garba Dawo, Dalhatu, Alikazaure Sarkin Arab, Tudun Wada, Kabong Naraguta “A” and Naraguta “B”.
Jos lies around 400 feet above sea level, and the weather can occasionally drop below freezing. Rainfall normally occurs between April and October each year. The months of December, January, and February are extremely chilly due to the harmattan’s dry wind, latitude, and mountainous terrain.
It is situated on table land, and the vegetation consists of scattered forest reserves and farmlands. However, Jos is a developed area, but part of its population live in places surrounded by hills. Jos’s climate makes tourism a viable sector.
1.3 Statement of the Research Problem
Maternal and child mortality, as previously noted, are not uncommon problems in our culture. They are as old as humanity itself, yet the trend and pattern differ among generations and socioeconomic groups.
In this study, however, the researcher is interested in determining the relationship between family poverty (socioeconomic status) and maternal and child mortality. Mother and child deaths are terrible experiences that damage families and have a negative impact on society and the economy.
Maternal and child mortality is common in many underdeveloped countries. Mothers and children have the highest risk of sickness and mortality. While motherhood can be a rewarding experience for many women, it is often related with illness and even mortality (Olatoye, 2009).
A woman’s mortality during pregnancy, labour, or peuriperium is a tragedy that carries a heavy burden of grief and pain, and it has been identified as a major public health issue in underdeveloped nations.
Women have a significant impact on their families’ well-being. Infant/child deaths under the age of five are unusual and strongly linked to maternal health.
Every year, one million children die as a result of their mother’s death, and the risk of death for children under the age of five doubles when mothers die during childbirth.
Every day, almost 25,000 infants die, and one woman dies during childbirth every minute. Every year, over 500,000 women die during childbirth, and more than 9 million children under the age of five die as a result of avoidable diseases. (WHO, 2003).
According to available research, Africa has the world’s highest maternal and infant death rate (Udofia and Okonofua, 2000; Prata et al., 2008).
In light of the foregoing, the researcher, a social work student at the University of Jos, a woman and a mother who has observed with keen interest over the years the prevalence of the above situation in Jos North area of Plateau state on how mothers and children die as a result of this preventable situation, has embarked on the research using Plateau State Specialist Hospital as the resource/data collection base.
Armstrong and Roystone (1990) claimed that:
The most easily recognised factors responsible for maternal and child mortality are the woman’s age and the
Number of her prior pregnancy. These factors, according to them, are not limited to developed countries’ societies, but have been found to exist in developed countries as well, with reports indicating that teenage marriage is common in developing countries
which may result in maternal death or other damage as a result of childbirth, such as VVF (Vesico Vagina Festula). Women in developing countries have significantly higher risks since they have more children than women in developed ones.
Putting the authors’ observations into context, some of the factors that contribute to maternal and child mortality are not exclusive to developing nations with a large proportion of impoverished people, but also exist in rich countries. (Alubo 1997; Armstrong & Roystone 1990).
1.4 Statement of Research Question
The following questions have arisen in regard to this research, and gaining solutions to them will be valuable to humanity:
What is the relationship between poverty and death rates among women and children?
What are the other variables contributing to child and maternal mortality?
What is the degree of awareness among communities about maternal mortality and family planning?
Is the government implementing initiatives to reduce maternal and child death rates?
How effective are government policies in reducing maternal and child mortality?
1.5 Statement of Research Objectives.
Study Objectives:
The main goal of this study is to analyse the influence of poverty on maternal and child mortality in Jos North Local Government Area. The specific goals are:
Specific Objectives
Determine the extent to which poverty has an impact on the health of women and children.
To identify the factors that contribute to the high death rate among women of reproductive age and children under the age of one.
To determine the level of family planning awareness among Jos North inhabitants.
To determine the prevalence of maternal and infant mortality among Jos North residents.
Make recommendations to the appropriate authority on ways to reduce maternal and child mortality among Jos North residents.
1.6 Research Hypothesis
According to Osuala (2001), “hypotheses are conjectural statements of the relationship between two or more variables”. They advise the investigator throughout the research process for the main study.
Hypotheses are often useful guides for conducting effective research. Hypothesis formation is inextricably linked to the selection of a research problem. The hypothesis for this study is as follows:
Ho1: Maternal and child mortality rates are related to socioeconomic class.
Ho2: The health of mother and child is heavily influenced by their socioeconomic level.
1.6 Significance of the Study
This study aims to teach inhabitants of Jos North Local Government preventive methods for maternal and infant mortality. It would also assist Plateau State Government policymakers and authorities in improving development plans, consequently taking appropriate steps to reduce and alleviate maternal and child mortality in our community.
It is also expected and hoped that it will allow medical officials and expectant women to implement preventive measures against such deaths.
Furthermore, this study will give men with the necessary information about newborn and maternal mortality in society, allowing them to start providing more and better care for their wives, mothers, and children (both born and unborn). These are the people who will shape the future of society.
1.7 Scope and Limitations of the Study
This study focusses mostly on the Jos North Local Government Area. Its goal is to determine the extent of poverty’s impact on the lives of women of reproductive age during childbirth and the mortality of children aged 0 to 1.
1.8 Definition of Basic Concepts
The advanced learner’s dictionary defines impact as “having a strong impression or effect on, for example, the economy.” Also, a big or powerful influence. We are determining the effect/influence of poverty on maternal and child mortality.
Poverty is defined as the lack of basic human necessities. The new Encyclopaedia Britannica volume 9, Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2003. It also poses a significant hurdle to human progress.
Poverty is also defined as the circumstance in which people’s “resources (material, social, and cultural) are so limited as to exclude them from the minimum acceptable way of life in the countries where they live.” (Defining Poverty, http://www.Anglicare.com)
Maternal: The term refers to a mother who is related to the mother’s side of the family. (Advanced Learner’s Dictionary).
A child is a young person who has complete physical development from birth to the age of seven, whether a boy or a girl; a large child. (Advanced Learner’s Dictionary).
Mortality refers to death and dying, the irreversible caesarean section of life, and the impending death. (Encarta, Encyclopaedia 2002).
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