Birth Preparedness and Complication Readiness among Postpartum Women in Rural and Urban Gambia

[[abstract]]Background: For there to be meaningful socio-economic development in any nation, the wellbeing of women and children should be the priority. Women and children need to be empowered; hence they are the most vulnerable to morbidity and mortality in our societies. The entire childbearing period is termed crucial to the health and survival of the mother and her newborn. In the absence of provision of adequate care during these crucial periods often results in complications, disabilities and death.Purpose: This study purpose was designed to assess knowledge of postpartum women and to explore factors associated with birth preparedness and complication readiness in rural and urban health regions of the Gambia.Method:A correlational study design was conducted in two health regions in the Gambia between July and August 2015 on BP/CR among postpartum women in rural and urban Gambia. A convenient sampling technic was used to select participants and a total of 197 postpartum women were recruited for the study out of which 98 were resided in rural areas and 99 of the respondent were resided in the urban areas of the Gambia. Structured questionnaire was used and the data was analyzed using SPSS software version 20. Result:Majority (71.4%, 83.8%) of respondents in rural and urban Gambia were within the age 20 -34 and substantial amount (53.3%) booked for ANC during second trimester (13 – 27 weeks). Follow-up visits during postpartum period was also low (4.6%) among rural and urban respondents but lower in rural (0.0%) areas than urban (9.1%). Respondents resided in both rural and urban Gambia had low knowledge of birth preparedness and complication readiness in pregnancy, labour and postpartum period. Greater proportion (90.9%) in rural and urban areas had never heard the term birth preparedness and 71.6% mentioned save money. Severe vaginal bleeding was the most common danger signs mentioned in pregnancy (48.2%), labour (33.5%), and postpartum period (40.6%). Place of residence, mother’s educational level, distance and identify skilled birth attendant in last delivery were found to be predictors of knowledge of BP/CR, and multivariate analysis revealed residence as the major contributor among the four variables (R² = 0.25, F = 15.64, p ˂ 0.001). Respondents resided in urban areas had higher mean score (8.46 ± 1.172) of knowledge than those in the rural areas (7.57 ± .732). Conclusion:postpartum follow-up visits was low in rural and urban areas studied but lower in rural areas than in urban and late ANC booking was also high in both areas. Knowledge of preparation of birth and danger signs during pregnancy, labour and postpartum was low in studied areas of rural and urban Gambia. Therefore, strengthening health education during clinic visits coupled with effective collaboration on implementation of health strategies will avail in improving services and reduce the rate of morbidity and mortality