Abstract:

Background: Awareness of the danger signs of obstetric complications is the essential first step in accepting appropriate and timely referral to proper obstetric and new born care (1, 2). Tanzania is one of the sub-Saharan African countries with high maternal and foetal mortality ratio. Delay in seeking the health care in one of the key factor leading to maternal or foetal death or both, which can be associated with lack of awareness about the obstetric danger signs.

It is essential that pregnant women should be aware of the danger signs of obstetric complications so that they could seek timely healthcare and the ANC has the potential of identifying and managing the obstetric complications, educate women about risk during pregnancy and promote skilled birth attendance during child birth. This study aims at assessing the awareness of common obstetric danger signs among pregnant women attending ANC at Ujiji health centre in Kigoma region.

Methodology: This was a health facility based cross sectional study done at Kigoma in September 2019. Whereas data was collected via interviewer administered questionnaires, of which only the pregnant women who attended ANC who provided a written consent off participation were enrolled in the study. Demographic information were collected, assessment on knowledge and awareness of the common obstetric danger sign was done. Data was entered and analysed using SPSS version 20. Continuous were summarized using mean and median with their respective measures of dispersion and the categorical variables summarized in frequency.

Results: About 96.8% would visit a nearby health centre once they or will encounter any danger sign. 71.4% of pregnant women were aged between 20-29 years. 68.2%, 56.8% and 73.6% of the pregnant women were married, of primary school education, were business women simultaneously. 16.8% attended ANC clinics as soon as they realized they were pregnant where 38.6% attended one month after knowing they are pregnant. 94% attended more two ANC visits at time of data collection. 90.5% knew the importance of attending ANC during pregnancy duration. 54.5 could mention a total of only two danger signs where as 10.4% could mention more than six obstetric danger signs. 73.2% of all pregnant women got obstetric danger signs knowledge from clinics where as 70% did not experience and danger sign in the pregnancy duration.

Conclusion: Most of the women who were included in the study had poor knowledge pertaining to the common obstetric danger signs although most of the pregnant women reported to receive the information and knowledge of the common obstetric danger signs at the ANC clinic.