Empowering members of a rural southern community in Nigeria to plan to take action to prevent maternal mortality: A participatory action research project.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To facilitate the empowerment of members of a rural community to plan to take action to prevent maternal mortality.

BACKGROUND: Globally, about 300,000 maternal deaths occur yearly. Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia regions account for almost all the deaths. Within those regions, India and Nigeria account for over a third of the global maternal deaths. Problem of maternal mortality in Nigeria is multifaceted. About 80% of maternal deaths are avoidable, given strategies which include skilled attendants, emergency obstetric care and community mobilisation. In this article, a strategy of community empowerment to plan to take action to prevent maternal mortality is discussed.

DESIGN: Participatory action research was used.

METHODS: Twelve volunteers were recruited as coresearchers into the study through purposive and snowball sampling who, following an orientation workshop, undertook participatory qualitative data collection with an additional 29 community members. Participatory thematic analysis of the data was undertaken which formed the basis of the plan of action.

RESULTS: Community members attributed maternal morbidities and deaths to superstitious causes, delayed referrals by traditional birth attendants, poor transportation and poor resourcing of health facilities. Following critical reflection, actions were planned to empower the people to prevent maternal deaths through community education and advocacy meetings with stakeholders to improve health and transportation infrastructures; training of existing traditional birth attendants in the interim and initiating their collaboration with skilled birth attendants.

CONCLUSION: The community is a resource which if mobilised through the process of participatory action research can be empowered to plan to take action in collaboration with skilled birth attendants to prevent maternal mortality.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Interventions to prevent maternal deaths should include community empowerment to have better understanding of their circumstances as well as their collaboration with health professionals.