Perception about traditional birth attendants by men and women of reproductive age in rural Migori County, Kenya

Abstract

BackgroundSkilled birth attendance, a proven way of reducing maternal and perinatal mortality has remained low in low resource settings. Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) have continued to be culturally and socially accepted in many societies despite their limitation in handling childbirth complications. The study objective was to assess the perception of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) by the men and women of reproductive age in rural Migori. MethodologyThis was a qualitative study carried out in four villages in Migori County, Nyanza region which involved married women of child bearing age and married men. Separate focus group discussions (FGDs) were done for men and women, where one FGD was conducted per group in each village. Content analysis was done after coding and categorizing data into thematic areas. ResultsThe findings indicated varied perceptions of men and women about the TBAs. Themen appreciated the services of TBAs mainly because of financial reasons while women enjoyed their friendly attitude and welfare services. The community was well aware of the risks of delivering with a TBA, however, they still opted for their services for reasons such as availability, accessibility and their friendly attitude. ConclusionThe men and women of reproductive had varied perceptions, both positive and negative about the traditional birth attendants. The TBAs still have a role to play in the community.