1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
There have been high incidence of maternal and child death in developingcountries especially in Africa which has the highest maternal mortality rate and the lowest child health status among the regions of the world (Uyanga,1991).
Apart from the thousands of women who die, millions of women suffer from permanent disabilities. In addition, millions of children are left motherless due to maternal deaths (Otubu, 1992).
Going in the statistical perspective, according to UNICEF (2000), for Nigeria, life expectancy at birth in 1998 was 50 years, infant mortality rate in 1998 was 112 per 1000, in less than 5 year time mortality rate was 197 per 1000, while maternal mortality rate in the year 2000 was 700 per 100,000.
In a recent study in Sokoto and Kebbi States, maternal mortality rateswere found to be between 1,000 and 1,200 per 100,000 live births andwomen in the childbearing age group had an awfully high 1 in 17 life-timerisk of dying during pregnancy or at childbirth (Shehu, 1994). Other studies alsoshow that 60 percent of the maternal deaths, occurs at home within thecommunity and 7 per cent occurs on the way to a health institution, thussuggesting that most of these deaths arise from conditions which are eitherpreventable or easily cured if medical services were sought earlier or withineasy reach. Furthermore, in Nigeria, nearly one in five children dies beforetheir fifth birthday (NDHS, 1990).
There is therefore the need to reduce thehigh incidences of deaths among mothers and children in the developingcountries for which timely and adequate utilization of important weapons like health education and modern medical care.
In Lagos State for example, there are striking variationsin immunization coverage (Lagos State Immunization Survey, 1991)contrary to expectations that Lagos State as a city with the greatestconcentration of health facilities, would have the best spread of the healthcare facilities among its different parts and populace. There were alsomarked variations in the coverage level of maternal care among the differentlocal government areas of the state.
Nonetheless, the literature on maternal and infant mortality in developed and developing countries has established that areas of high rates are usuallyrural areas as a result of poor health education and awareness.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Maternal and childcare plays a major role in reducing maternal and child mortality. Many studies identifying the causes and high levels of maternal deaths in developing countries have repeatedly emphasized the role of maternity care in mortality reduction through vibrant health education (Ebrahim, 1982; Measham,1987; Stewart and Sommerfelt, 1991). Maternal care not only improves the health and survival of mothers, it also improves those of their children and enhances the quality of life of the family.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
Live everybody knows has no duplicate, therefore any attempt or resource employed in the process of maintaining and saving it can never be counted waste. But in certain situations lives are lost due to lack of information on ways and improved orientation on how to save and manage it in certain difficult health conditions especially where it relates to pregnancy, child bearing and nurturing little growing children.
The study is therefore aimed at improving the care for mother and child in state and privately owned hospitals in Abeokuta, Ogun state Nigeria through proper and efficient health education. This is important because in this part of the world where education and exposure is just close to average, many mothers are ill-oriented on modern and improved patterns and methods of child caring as well as treatments tips to employ when pregnancy and child bearing issues and problems arises.
Governments and health organisations in the country through the enlightenment of this research study shall understand the need to imbibe sound health education awareness as well as provision of health centers and hospitals in remote areas for easy assessment of health care delivery in both urban and rural areas.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The role of health education in improving maternal and child health care can never be over emphasised because in whatever any living being is doing – life is paramount. Therefore no effort, knowledge and time should be spared to save it – thus the significance of this research work.
Many cases have been recorded where mothers die of certain pregnancy and child bearing complications due to lack of proper sensitization and knowledge about the situation before hand. Also lives of children at very tender ages have also been lost to untimely death due to poor orientation of their mother(s) on what to do at certain conditions of child health as well as lack of availability of needed health facilities and equipments.
At such situations depicted above, lives were lost as a result of lack of knowledge and proper guidance beforehand. Therefore this work tends to explore the role proper health education can play in maternal and child health care delivery in state and privately owned hospitals in Abeokuta.
1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of this study is private and state owned hospitals in Abeokuta, Ogun state Nigeria and the whole Africa or the world since the research is focused in providing precise and accurate data within the reach and context of his resources. The reason for this is to make the findings, recommendations and conclusions of the study a reliable and concise one
1.6 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
Numerous are the challenges that confronted this work but only the main ones encountered in the field during data collation process was paramount and presented here.
First of the limitation is difficulty in communication as a result of native Yoruba dialects/language the respondents used in communication.
This study did not take into consideration the fact that some of thewomen were unable to contribute for more puzzling findings. It is possible that the question was not conveyed in a clear enough manner, or that the investigators failed to probe in a way that revealedrespondents true feelings and levels of knowledge. The community members may have also misinterpreted questions such as: “Do you know about any methods women can use to prevent getting pregnant if theywould like to rest between births” to mean “Do you have any personal experience with using contraceptives…”
1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS
The following terms used on this study should be taken to mean the following:
NDHS: National Demographic Health Survey
PHC: Primary Health Care
ANC: Antenatal Care
WHO: World Health Organisation
UNICEF: United Nations International Cultural and Educational Foundation
Maternal mortality: The death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy irrespective of the site and duration of pregnancy from any acutely related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes.
Health education: Awareness about health related issued with the intention of teaching new and improved strategies to manage health related issues at certain conditions. Etc.