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Community perceptions of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia in Ogun State, Nigeria: a qualitative study.

Akeju, DO; Vidler, M; Oladapo, OT; Sawchuck, D; Qureshi, R; von Dadelszen, P; Adetoro, OO; Dada, OA; CLIP Nigeria Feasibility Working Group (2016) Community perceptions of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia in Ogun State, Nigeria: a qualitative study. Reproductive Health, 13 Suppl 1. p. 57. ISSN 1742-4755 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-016-0134-z
SGUL Authors: von Dadelszen, Peter

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Pre-eclampsia is a complication of pregnancy responsible for high rates of morbidity and mortality, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. When undetected or poorly managed, it may progress to eclampsia which further worsens the prognosis. While most studies examining pre-eclampsia have used a bio-medical model, this study recognizes the role of the socio-cultural environment, in order to understand perceptions of pre-eclampsia within the community. METHODS: The study was conducted in Ogun State, Nigeria in 2011-2012. Data were obtained through twenty-eight focus group discussions; seven with pregnant women (N = 80), eight with new mothers (N = 95), three with male decision-makers (N = 35), six with community leaders (N = 68), and three with traditional birth attendants (N = 36). Interviews were also conducted with the heads of the local traditional birth attendants (N = 4) and with community leaders (N = 5). Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed in NVivo 10 software. RESULTS: There was no terminology reportedly used for pre-eclampsia in the native language - Yoruba; however, hypertension has several terms independent of pregnancy status. Generally, 'gìrì âlábôyún' describes seizures specific to pregnancy. The cause of hypertension in pregnancy was thought to be due to depressive thoughts as a result of marital conflict and financial worries, while seizures in pregnancy were perceived to result from prolonged exposure to cold. There seemed to be no traditional treatment for hypertension. However for seizures the use of herbs, concoctions, incisions, and topical application of black soap were widespread. CONCLUSION: This study illustrates that knowledge of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia are limited amongst communities of Ogun State, Nigeria. Findings reveal that pre-eclampsia was perceived as a stress-induced condition, while eclampsia was perceived as a product of prolonged exposure to cold. Thus, heat-related local medicines and herbal concoctions were the treatment options. Perceptions anchored on cultural values and lack of adequate and focused public health awareness is a major constraint to knowledge of the aetiology and treatment of the conditions. A holistic approach is recommended for sensitization at the community level and the need to change the community perceptions of pre-eclampsia remains a challenge. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01911494 .

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: © 2016 Akeju et al. Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
Keywords: Attitudes, Community, Eclampsia, Hypertension, Nigeria, Perception, Pre-eclampsia, Seizures, CLIP Nigeria Feasibility Working Group, Obstetrics & Reproductive Medicine, 1114 Paediatrics And Reproductive Medicine
SGUL Research Institute / Research Centre: Academic Structure > Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute (MCS)
Journal or Publication Title: Reproductive Health
ISSN: 1742-4755
Language: ENG
Dates:
DateEvent
8 June 2016Published
17 February 2016Accepted
Publisher License: Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0
Projects:
Project IDFunderFunder ID
UNSPECIFIEDBill and Melinda Gates Foundationhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000865
PubMed ID: 27357695
Go to PubMed abstract
URI: https://openaccess.sgul.ac.uk/id/eprint/108341
Publisher's version: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-016-0134-z

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