Date of Conferral

2017

Degree

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

School

Public Health

Advisor

Diana Naser

Abstract

Maternal mortality, an example of poor maternal health outcomes, is widely accepted as an indicator of the overall health of a population. One of the Millennium Development Goals was reduction in maternal mortality by 3 quarters by 2015. These goals were not met in Nigeria and it is important to look at some of the reasons why. Education has been shown to have positive impact on pregnancy outcomes; however, the characteristics of pregnant women, their health literacy level, their usage of antenatal care services and how these impact pregnancy outcomes are yet to be analyzed in Lagos, Nigeria. Guided by the social cognitive theory and health belief model, the purpose of this cross-sectional quantitative study was to determine if there is a relationship between maternal health literacy, antenatal care visits, development of medical conditions during pregnancy, and pregnancy outcomes (measured by healthy or unhealthy baby) in Lagos, Nigeria. The research question for this study tested if there was a relationship between these variables. Lisa Chew's health literacy assessment tool was used in a sample of 130 women in Shomolu local government in Nigeria who met the inclusion criteria. Using binary logistic correlations, only problems developed during pregnancy is statistically significant with pregnancy outcomes (p < .05). The results suggested an increase in problems developed during pregnancy most likely will increase the chance of having negative pregnancy outcomes. Results from this study could promote positive social change by helping health professionals identify the characteristics of at-risk women during antenatal education sessions. The results could also help health professionals in the development of targeted antenatal care interventions.

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