Preferences for traditional or modern practitioners: A comparative study

Abstract

Objective: This study compared two groups of women—those with a preference for traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and those with a preference for modern health care practitioners (MHCPs)—at Akpabuyo, Cross River state, Nigeria with regard to their level of knowledge about the risks of patronizing the TBAs; perception of costs of services; educational qualifications; traditional beliefs; and income status. Method: A comparative descriptive design and a multistage systematic random-sampling technique were used to study 300 women of child-bearing age, 18–45 years, who had delivered at least one baby or were pregnant and residing at the study area. A validated questionnaire was the instrument for data collection. Results: Most of the participants, 156 (52.0%), had primary education, 113 (37.7%) had secondary education, 26 (8.7%) had tertiary education and 5 (1.7%) had no formal education. There were statistically significant differences between the two groups of respondents with regard to knowledge of the risks involved in patronizing TBAs; perception of costs of delivery with MHCPs; traditional beliefs; and income levels (Cal. t =3.26; 4.96; 6.61 and 3.88 > Crit. t = 1.96; df 298; P = 0.05). Women with a preference for MHCPs had a higher mean score (mean = 3.78) for knowledge; perception of lower cost of delivery services with MHCPs (mean = 7.57); lower adherence to traditional beliefs (mean = 5.25) but poorer and lower income level (mean = 1.12) compared with those who preferred TBAs (mean = 2.99; 8.88; 6.33 and 1.75 respectively). Most of the respondents (n = 54; 67.5%) whose educational level was below secondary education preferred TBAs compared with 113 (51.4%) of those with secondary education and above who preferred MHCPs. Conclusion: Recommendations focused on improvement of women's educational level to enhance their decision-making abilities with respect to choice of delivery services.