Perceived Impact of Women’s Education Level on Maternal Health Service Utilization among Married Nursing Mothers in Okigwe Zone of Imo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined the perceived impact of women’s education on the maternal health outcome among expectant mothers in Okigwe zone of Imo State. Three hypotheses based on the following variables: antenatal care services, use of skilled birth attendants, and awareness and management of pregnancy-related complications were raised and tested. A cross-sectional survey design was employed for the study. Population of the study comprised of all expectant mothers attending antenatal care services in Okigwe Zone. The study sample consisted of 365 participants selected using a multi-stage sampling procedure. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was reviewed and validated by three experts in public health education, and their feedbacks led to necessary modifications in language clarity, question relevance and construct alignment. The instrument was trial-tested on 20 expectant mothers at different hospital not included in the study sample. The internal consistency reliability was established using Cronbach’s alpha, which yielded a coefficient of 0.82. Data analysis was done using frequency, percentage, Pearson correlation (r), and chi-square statistics set at .05 alpha level. The results showed all the three hypotheses were statistically significant. The results were obtained: antenatal care services (p < .05); skilled attendants (p < .05) and awareness and management of pregnancy-related complications (r = 0.74). The study proves that education is a key determinant of maternal health, influencing women’s knowledge, empowerment, and access to healthcare. However, Government and agencies should institute deliberate long term measures to improve girl child education, especially maternal education in order to improve on reproductive health indicators among other aspects.