Prevalence and Determinants of Self-reported Morbidity among Pregnant Women in Rural
Abstract
Background : The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in Pakistan is estimated at 400 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.
Prevalence of minor and major illnesses related with pregnancy and childbirth is much higher. However, most births in the rural
areas take place at home, conducted by untrained traditional birth attendants. Data on the prevalence of maternal morbidity is,
therefore, limited. Self-reporting of illnesses related with pregnancy and childbirth is generally considered as unreliable, as
women’s perception of the seriousness of the health problems is inadequate.
Method : The data were collected in a baseline survey that was conducted for an operations research project of the Ministry of
Health, Government of Pakistan. The baseline survey comprised interviews with the ever-married women in the reproductive
ages (15-49 years). For the selection of eligible women for the interview, a two-staged cluster random sampling procedure was
applied. The response rate was 94.4% and interviews with 9,118 of the identified 9,655 females were successfully completed.
The interviews were conducted by female interviewers having graduate degree or above. Completed questionnaires were edited
and coded by a team of professional data editors.
Results : The prevalence of maternal morbidity in this study was 20%, which is considered to be high, although can be
expected in this population. Nearly half of the women reported some kind of illness during pregnancy, which is also expected.
This study also estimated that the unmet obstetric need among rural women was very high; this finding has policy implication,
as the need for alternative and more operational indicators of maternal health is increasingly felt.
Conclusion : It is recommended that population-based studies and national surveys routinely incorporate well designed
questions to elicit information on self-reported maternal morbidity; the same studies can also be used to identify the
determinants of common obstetric problems and to estimate the unmet need of obstetric care.
Prevalence of minor and major illnesses related with pregnancy and childbirth is much higher. However, most births in the rural
areas take place at home, conducted by untrained traditional birth attendants. Data on the prevalence of maternal morbidity is,
therefore, limited. Self-reporting of illnesses related with pregnancy and childbirth is generally considered as unreliable, as
women’s perception of the seriousness of the health problems is inadequate.
Method : The data were collected in a baseline survey that was conducted for an operations research project of the Ministry of
Health, Government of Pakistan. The baseline survey comprised interviews with the ever-married women in the reproductive
ages (15-49 years). For the selection of eligible women for the interview, a two-staged cluster random sampling procedure was
applied. The response rate was 94.4% and interviews with 9,118 of the identified 9,655 females were successfully completed.
The interviews were conducted by female interviewers having graduate degree or above. Completed questionnaires were edited
and coded by a team of professional data editors.
Results : The prevalence of maternal morbidity in this study was 20%, which is considered to be high, although can be
expected in this population. Nearly half of the women reported some kind of illness during pregnancy, which is also expected.
This study also estimated that the unmet obstetric need among rural women was very high; this finding has policy implication,
as the need for alternative and more operational indicators of maternal health is increasingly felt.
Conclusion : It is recommended that population-based studies and national surveys routinely incorporate well designed
questions to elicit information on self-reported maternal morbidity; the same studies can also be used to identify the
determinants of common obstetric problems and to estimate the unmet need of obstetric care.
Midhet, F. (2007). Prevalence and Determinants of Self-reported Morbidity among Pregnant Women in Rural. International Journal of Health Sciences, 1(2). Retrieved from https://pub.qu.edu.sa/index.php/journal/article/view/99
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Copyright and license info is not available