By: Joyce Bonareri Ombacho and Dr. Abednego Ongeso
Abstract
Preconception care consists of the thorough and systematic evaluation of a non-gravid woman who intends to become pregnant. Interventions prior to conception can promote the health and well-being of mothers and improve subsequent pregnancy and child health outcomes. Despite pre-conception care been established to have a potential in ensuring maternal and foetal health, the concept still remains relatively new and has not been fully ventured into The study aimed at determining the demographic determinants of preconception preparedness and pregnancy outcomes among mothers Seeking Postnatal And Family Planning Services at Coast Provincial General Hospital. The study adopted a mixed method that constitutes both the quantitative and the qualitative approaches (triangulation). Cross sectional study design was used under quantitative approach and phenomenological design under qualitative approach. The study was conducted in the postnatal ward among mothers who delivered regardless of the pregnancy outcome. To calculate sample size for 196 for the quantitative study, Krejcie and Morgan (2016) formula was used while data saturation method was used in determination of sample size of 12 respondents for the qualitative study. The researcher administered structured questionnaires used for quantitative data collection to obtain information from the respondents. Qualitative data on the other hand was obtained through interview guides and the key interviewees were the health care staff working at the maternity unit in CPGH. The qualitative data was transcribed, translated and then analyzed thematically. For quantitative data; descriptive statistics which include measures of central tendency such as frequencies, and percentages were calculated. Quantitative data was presented in tables, graphs, and charts. The qualitative data was presented in narration.. The study found that demographic determinants had a p-value of 0.035<0.05 which implies that it had a positive and significant influence on preconception preparedness. Therefore, the study concludes that efficiency preconception on mothers is largely dependent on the demographic determinants. The study further concludes that for proper preconception preparedness to be achieved, the demographic factors ought to be well considered and any challenges arising to be well mitigated. The study recommends that the management and those in charge at the facility to highly prioritize and consider these demographic factors during the formulation and implementation of preconception care programs. The study also recommends that the government and other policy regulatory bodies to come up with measures to ensure that safe motherhood is equally protected as a human right through proper preconception. The study further recommends that the county government and other policy makers to collaborate and enhance promotion of preconception preparedness and complication readiness at different levels in the health sector by improving the welfare of the mothers.
Key Words: Demographic factors, Determinant of preconception preparedness, Effectiveness, Morbidity, Postnatal Care, Preconception care
URL: https://www.ijcab.org/201800870/ View Full Article
This is an open-access article published and distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, United States unless otherwise stated.
About the Authors:
- Joyce Bonareri Ombacho– Correspondent Author, University of Nairobi, Kenya
- Dr. Abednego Ongeso– Lecturer, University of Nairobi, Kenya