The Role of Cultural Beliefs in Accessing Antenatal care in Malawi: A Qualitative Study

Public Health Nursing
Joni RobertsPeter Gleason

Abstract

The World Health Organization in 2002 recommended a focused antenatal care model of four visits for women in low-income countries. Despite the high percentage of mothers (95%) who see a skilled attendant and the adaptation of the recommended antenatal model, only 46% of Malawian mothers meet the recommendation. The purpose of this study was to identify the cultural beliefs that influence women's antenatal care or pregnancy-related health care decisions. Twenty pregnant mothers and eight health workers from two urban tertiary care hospitals in Malawi were recruited to participate in a qualitative study assessing barriers to antenatal care. Data were collected between September and December 2014 through face-face, audio-recorded interviews, and a demographic survey. Identified maternal cultural beliefs included: seeking advice from village elders, spousal fidelity, and disclosing pregnancy. Health workers mentioned that providers often held the same cultural beliefs and, therefore, turned women away if they tried to go against cultural norms. Cultural beliefs play an integral role in the decision-making process of antenatal care. Specifically, the belief and practice of when to disclose pregnancy prohibits women from seeking ante...Continue Reading

References

Apr 29, 1998·Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing : JOGNN·S GennaroR Kershbaumer
May 27, 2003·Social Science & Medicine·Rachel R Chapman
Nov 24, 2005·International Journal of Epidemiology·William W Dressler
Jun 24, 2008·BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth·Peter WaiswaStefan Peterson
Mar 23, 2012·BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth·Karin GrossBrigit Obrist

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Citations

Oct 5, 2016·Global Public Health·Imelda K MoiseJuliet I Iwelunmor
Aug 15, 2018·Journal of Transcultural Nursing : Official Journal of the Transcultural Nursing Society·Rachel Lang-Baldé, Roxanne Amerson
Nov 14, 2020·BMC Cancer·Chiara PittalisJakub Gajewski
May 29, 2021·Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare·Yanjie WangRui Huang

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