Abstract
Background: Cultural norms bring substantial weight in women’s decision-making, especially concerning the choice of the birth location. Cultural and religious practices may influence how pregnant women respond to Antenatal Care (ANC) services, feel confident about which questions to ask, or participate in the discussions about their care plan or birth options. Purpose: The study aimed to explore and describe the influence of cultural practices on the management of pregnancy in the Mbombela Municipality of Mpumalanga Province. Methods: Using a qualitative approach, pregnant women who failed to completely attend ANC services were purposively sampled, and individual unstructured in-depth interviews were employed to collect data. The study consisted of a sample size of 18 pregnant women, and data saturation was reached. Tech’s method of analysis was followed for data analysis. Results: Study findings revealed a significant theme: cultural practices and pregnancy management, encompassing three sub-themes: cultural practices in pregnancy, cultural medication taken by pregnant women, and the effects of cultural practices on pregnancy management. Conclusion: It is recommended that women should be given health education concerning ANC services every day while they wait in primary health care clinics. Accordingly, the healthcare professionals should encourage the active involvement of all pregnant women in health promotion gatherings and offer chances for clarity seeking. Despite the availability of free maternal healthcare services in primary healthcare clinics, women still consult traditional healers during pregnancy and believe in cultural practices. It is therefore important that programs developed for maternal services be congruent to the cultural practices of women to be serviced.
Highlights
Culture plays an important role in determining how society’s health practices are shaped and contribute to access or barriers to how people from different cultures manage their health, including health-seeking behaviours
It is recommended that women should be given health education concerning Antenatal Care (ANC) services every day while they wait in primary health care clinics
It is important that programs developed for maternal services be congruent to the cultural practices of women to be serviced
Summary
Culture plays an important role in determining how society’s health practices are shaped and contribute to access or barriers to how people from different cultures manage their health, including health-seeking behaviours. Cultural and Religious Practices on the Management. Cultural practices have the potential to influence pregnant women on how to respond towards available ANC services, feeling confident in terms of which questions to ask or even partake in the deliberations regarding their whole pregnancy care plan or available birth options. Differences in cultural beliefs and opinions might influence some important aspects related to ANC; this includes the level of participation of the father or husband throughout pregnancy, informed consent towards necessary interventions, comprehension of provided dates and times of appointments, and understanding of relevant medical interventions during pregnancy [5 - 7]. Cultural and religious practices may influence how pregnant women respond to Antenatal Care (ANC) services, feel confident about which questions to ask, or participate in the discussions about their care plan or birth options.
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