ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Up to two-thirds of maternal and neonatal deaths occur during the postnatal period; therefore, postnatal care is very important for the prevention of impairments, disabilities of newborns, as well as the reduction of maternal mortality. The provision of postnatal care presents an opportunity for the immediate rendering of healthcare services to mothers and newborns in the period following birth and these services involve both preventative and curative measures aimed at improving the health of the mother and child.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge, attitude towards, and utilization of the postnatal care services among mothers and newborns in Evbuomore Community.
METHODOLOGY: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was utilized for this study among 486 women of reproductive age group (15-49 years) who were residents of Evbuomore community, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was utilized for this this study and data for this study was collected using a standardized structured self-administered questionnaire. Data was analyzed with IBM SPSS version 25.0 and quantitative variables were expressed as frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation.
RESULT: The study revealed that 414 (85.2%) of the respondents were between the ages of 25-39 years, 438 (90.1%) were married, 433 (89.1%) were Christians, and that 213 (43.8%) earned N90,000 and above monthly, with 228 (46.9%) in skill level 2. Three hundred and eleven (64.0%) respondents had good knowledge of postnatal care while 175 (36.0%) respondents had poor knowledge. Three hundred and sixteen (65.0%) respondents had good attitude towards postnatal care while 170 (35.0%) respondents had poor attitude towards postnatal care. Four hundred and thirteen (85.0%) of respondents rated postnatal care services high while 73 (15.0%) rated postnatal care services poorly. Three hundred and Eighty-two (78.6%) respondents had good newborn care practices while 104 (21.4%) respondents had poor newborn care practices.
CONCLUSION: Majority of the respondents had good knowledge and positive attitude towards postnatal care services respectively. Over three-quarters of the respondents rated the availability of postnatal care services as high, and had good newborn care practices. There should be improved education of women of childbearing age about postnatal care and its benefits.
KEYWORDS: Postnatal care, knowledge, attitude, postnatal services, mothers, newborn, Edo State, Nigeria, Evbuomore, maternal mortality, newborn care, antenatal care
