Increasing Access to Skilled Pregnancy Care: Community-Led Intervention in Rural Nigeria

Friday Okonofua, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo State , Nigeria
Lorretta Favour C. Ntoimo, Federal University Oye-Ekiti
Sanni Yaya, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Canada
Blessing Omo-Omorodion

Anchored on three theoretical models of health care seeking behavior and utilization, we implemented quasi-experimental research in two rural Local Government Areas in Edo State, Nigeria. The goal was to increase rural women’s access to skilled maternal health care provided in primary health care facilities. Drawing on the demand and supply factors associated with low use of PHCs in the study location elicited through a mixed-method baseline, we designed multifaceted community-led interventions. This paper presents the mid-term evaluation results. The primary outcome indicators, the number of women who register in the project PHCs for antenatal care, the number who attend antenatal care and the number who give birth in the facilities increased significantly over time. The approach adopted in this study enlisted the full participation of the community stakeholders, thus, increasing the project effectiveness which is expected to strengthen its impact and sustainability over time.