Health Education on Birth Preparedness: What is Happening? a Study Among Mothers Attending Antenatal Clinics in Migori Country, Kenya

Health education is the avenue to deliver health messages. Among pregnant women, birth preparedness education is critical in equipping them with knowledge on readiness of birth and prevention of complications. Although this is the case, there are challenges in delivery of health messages in health facilities. The aim of the study was to establish how birth preparedness health messages are delivered to pregnant women by health care workers during antenatal care (ANC) visits.

This was a cross-sectional descriptive study carried out among 389 pregnant women attending public ANC clinics in Migori County. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using Stata version 11software.

Birth preparedness health education was delivered to 92.6% mothers attending antenatal clinic and it was mostly initiated during the first visit. The mode of delivery used was group teaching (61.5%). The verbal method used for delivery of the messages by health providers was preferred by 38.3% of the respondents because of its convenience; however some respondents found it time wasting or too brief (52.6%). Residence, level of education and type of health facility visited were associated with delivery of health education messages (p<0.001). Challenges faced by clients during health education were language barrier, harshness of health workers and poor timing of delivery of the messages.

Birth preparedness health education is provided to women attending ANC, however there are challenges facing the delivery of the messages. Effort should be made to improve delivery of these messages to the mothers.