Tanzania survey points to high risk of maternal death
- PMID: 12345452
Tanzania survey points to high risk of maternal death
Abstract
PIP: A recent survey from the Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS) indicates that uneducated women who live in rural areas are most at risk of dying in childbirth. Those who have more than 4 children, or those who began bearing children before the age of 18, are most likely to have complications. 28% of Tanzanian women began bearing children by age 17. Rural women, or those with little education, tended to have more than 6 children. Urban women from Dar es Salaam, or those with a secondary school education or higher, had, on average, 4 children. Malnourished pregnant women have low birth weight babies; 1/5 of Tanzanian newborns were in this category. 92% of Tanzanian women received prenatal care from trained personnel. Approximately 70% had at least 4 prenatal visits. 53% were attended by trained personnel during labor and delivery. Nearly 50% of births occurred at home. Distance from health services and lack of access to rapid transports were factors. 46% of rural women lived more than 5 km from the nearest facility offering prenatal care; 54% lived more than 5 km from the nearest delivery care facility. 50% of the women surveyed knew where the nearest hospital was located; however, most of the women needed more than an hour to travel there. Future Safe Motherhood activities will focus on health service intervention. Improving access to care, as well as quality of care, will complement community-based programs of nutrition, education, and advocacy. Health service intervention in Tanzania has been stressed by the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, and other technical cooperation agencies.
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