SOCIO-CULTURAL PRACTICES INFLUENCING INTRAPARTUM AND POSTPARTUM CONTINUUM OF CARE IN THE ASANTE AKIM NORTH DISTRICT. ASHANTI REGION

ABSTRACT Background: The growing recognition of the critical importance of providing care to mothers and newborns and the substantial gaps in coverage that exists have prompted a paradigm shift in responding to maternal and new born health issues. Invariably, the health care that a mother receives during pregnancy, at the time of delivery, and soon after delivery is important for the survival and well-being of both the mother and her child. However, evidence suggests that maternal and neonatal deaths are accentuated by socio-cultural practices along the intrapartum and postpartum continuum of care and several studies have documented this across the globe. However, in Ghana, studies on the role socio-cultural practices play along intrapartum and postpartum continuum of care remain unexplored. This study, therefore, seeks to identify the gaps in the knowledge and practices along the intrapartum and postpartum continuum of care in the Asante Akim North District of Ashanti Region of Ghana. Methods: This was a descriptive cross sectional study which employed mixed sequenllal qualitative and quantitative strategies. An initial explorative study using focus group discussions and in-depth interviews was done to explore community leaders. health managers and mothers' perceptions and experiences in relation to the influence of socio-cultural practices along the intrapartum and post postpartum continuum of care. NVivo II was used to analyze the qualitative data and the themes and sub-theme converted into a survey questionnaire. A multi stage sampling technique was used to sample 439 mothers with infants (0-6 months) from four subdistricts, based on proportion to popUlation. Quantitative data was analyzed using STAT A 14. Multivariable logistic regression to determine associations between independent and dependent variables was done.