Role of Traditional Birth Attendants in Reducing Maternal Birth Complications and Infant Mortality Among Women in Remote Communities in Rivers State

This study examined “Role of Traditional Birth Attendants in Reducing Maternal Birth Complications and Infant Mortality Among Women in Remote Communities in Rivers State”. Two objectives, two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. The study was carried out in Rivers State remote communities. Descriptive survey design was adopted in the study covering a population of 3,230 respondents comprising 3,030 women from community-based women organisations and 200 traditional birth attendants in rural areas of Rivers State. The sample size was 364 respondents consisting of 324 women and 40 traditional birth attendants, determined using the Krejcie and Morgan Table. A multistage sampling technique was used in selecting the sample. The instrument for data collection was a self-designed questionnaire titled " Role of Traditional Birth Attendants in Reducing Maternal Birth Complications and Infant Mortality Among Women Questionnaire". The instrument was validated by three expert two from Adult Education and one from Measurement and Evaluation at Rivers State University. The instrument's reliability was established using the Cronbach Alpha method, yielding reliability coefficients of 0.77 and 0.76, for the two clusters in the research instrument. Mean and standard deviation statistics were used to answer the research questions, while z-test statistics were employed to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study showed that traditional birth attendants have a high positive impact on reduction of birth complications, and infant mortality rate among women in remote communities in Rivers State. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that local government authorities in collaboration with community leaders should establish functional community emergency referral systems, including community emergency funds and designated transport arrangements, to address the structural delays in accessing emergency obstetric care that compound the risks associated with TBA-attended deliveries