 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Osasu O Osayimwen, MD, School of Public Health, Boston University, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, 617 650 0770, osasu@bu.edu
Maternal mortality is a universal source of concern, being an indicator of women’s status in a community, the quality of health care services, and the socio-economic and political development of a country.
In Nigeria the MMR is 1,100 per 100,000 and a total of 45,000 maternal deaths (about 10% of the world total) occur yearly. One in 13 Nigerian women is expected to die from pregnancy related complications in her life time.
Objective: This paper presents results of a needs assessment of the problem of maternal mortality in Nigeria. Based on a review of studies published in medical and public health literature and national reports and data sources, it assesses the adequacy of data available to describe the scope and consequences of the problem, its contributing factors, and the effectiveness of current strategies to address it. Recommendations for improved surveillance, research, and policy-making are given.
Findings: Most of the published studies are hospital-based and suffer from serious selection biases. Nigeria, despite it's major contribution to the worldwide problem of maternal mortality, has not been the site of research on the consequence of the problem on households, families, and communities. The impact of ongoing safe motherhood programs in Nigeria is difficult to measure given the inherent challenges of identifying accurate indicators for success.
This paper will combine the lessons learned from the existing literature and local data sources with a careful examination of the Nigerian context to recommend steps that can be taken to make motherhood safer in Nigeria.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Safe Mother Program,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.