Community perceptions of socio-cultural factors that influence maternal mortality and their perspectives on how it could be prevented in Southeast Nigeria

Nigeria has one of the highest rates of maternal deaths during pregnancy, childbirth and after childbirth in the developing world. The worst rates are seen in rural Nigerian communities. The major contributor to such high rates in rural Nigeria is the underuse of maternal services in health facilities. Instead, many rural Nigerian women use traditional services that are unsafe and not based on scientific evidence. With the traditional influence of community elders’ perceptions and opinions on reproductive health decisions, such as the decision to seek delivery care in a hospital, it is important to understand what they think is causing underuse of health facilities and death during maternity, and to identify potential solutions for their communities. Underutilization of formal maternal care services and accredited health attendants is a major contributor to the high maternal mortality rates in rural communities in Nigeria. Perceptions of a poor quality of care and inaccessible services in health facilities strongly influence the low use of formal maternal care services.