TY - JOUR
T1 - Social costs of skilled attendance at birth in rural Ghana
AU - Bazzano, Alessandra Nina
AU - Kirkwood, Betty
AU - Tawiah-Agyemang, Charlotte
AU - Owusu-Agyei, Seth
AU - Adongo, Philip
PY - 2008/7
Y1 - 2008/7
N2 - Objective: To examine the social costs to women of skilled attendance at birth in rural Ghana. Method: Ethnographic data were obtained through participant observation, interviews, case histories, and focus groups and were analyzed alongside data from a birth cohort of 2878 singletons born in the Kintampo study district between July 2003 and June 2004. Results: Most women delivered at home. Home delivery raises a woman's status in her community, while seeking skilled attendance lowers it. Women feel that seeking assistance in childbirth wastes other people's time and they value secrecy in labor. Negative treatment by health providers and expensive supplies needed for delivery also act as barriers. Conclusion: The social costs of obtaining skilled attendance at birth must be offset by community level strategies such as mobilization of older women and husbands, and ensuring health providers extend professional, humane care to laboring women.
AB - Objective: To examine the social costs to women of skilled attendance at birth in rural Ghana. Method: Ethnographic data were obtained through participant observation, interviews, case histories, and focus groups and were analyzed alongside data from a birth cohort of 2878 singletons born in the Kintampo study district between July 2003 and June 2004. Results: Most women delivered at home. Home delivery raises a woman's status in her community, while seeking skilled attendance lowers it. Women feel that seeking assistance in childbirth wastes other people's time and they value secrecy in labor. Negative treatment by health providers and expensive supplies needed for delivery also act as barriers. Conclusion: The social costs of obtaining skilled attendance at birth must be offset by community level strategies such as mobilization of older women and husbands, and ensuring health providers extend professional, humane care to laboring women.
KW - Care seeking
KW - Childbirth
KW - Ghana
KW - Maternal health
KW - Skilled attendance
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=46549090197&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2008.02.004
DO - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2008.02.004
M3 - Article
C2 - 18395724
AN - SCOPUS:46549090197
SN - 0020-7292
VL - 102
SP - 91
EP - 94
JO - International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics
JF - International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics
IS - 1
ER -