Awareness Regarding Danger Signs and Barriers to Health Seeking in Pregnant Women Attending BBH Filter Clinic, Rawalpindi

Abstract

Background: Maternal health relates to the well-being of a woman during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. The unfortunate death of these women, often occurring during their active working years, not only affects individuals and families but also has broader societal and economic impacts in their respective countries. Objectives: This study was aimed to assess the level of awareness of danger signs and barriers to health seeking during pregnancy among the pregnant women attending Filter Clinic in BBH, Rawalpindi. It was also intended to determine the association of awareness and practices among pregnant women during pregnancy with sociodemographic factors like education, monthly income etc. and to find out the determinants of awareness of danger signs and practices during pregnancy. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was carried out at BBH filter clinic Rawalpindi city. A total of 366 pregnant women were selected through non-probability consecutive sampling. Data were collected using validated tool Johns Hopkins Program for International Education in Gynecology and Obstetrics (JHPIEGO's) Maternal and Neonatal Program. Data were entered an analyzed using SPSS version 26.0. Pearson Chi Square test of Independence and binary logistic regression were applied to find out the association of awareness regarding danger signs and barriers to healthcare and association of practices with sociodemographic factors. Results: Among the 366 respondents, majority of them were in age bracket of 31-40 years (n= 156). Results of present study showed that slightly more than half respondents reported poor awareness regarding danger signs during pregnancy (n= 190). Furthermore, it was v found that (51%, n= 185) of the women reported poor practices during pregnancy. It was also observed that women with higher education level (bachelors) were nearly 3 times more likely to have good practices as compared to those who were illiterate (p= 0.01). Number of children, religion, ethnicity did not show any significant association with awareness, knowledge and practices regarding danger signs and barriers during pregnancy. Conclusion: The present study indicated that, on the whole, the population revealed somewhat insufficient practices and awareness regarding danger signs. The primary determinants of awareness regarding these danger signs were found to be the educational level of women (p-value=0.003) and their monthly income (p-value=0.002). Key-words: Awareness, Barriers, BBH, Danger Signs, Filter Clinic, Health Seeking, Pregnant Women, Pakistan, Rawalpindi.