Knowledge and Utilization of safe Motherhood Services (A Case Study of Tharu Community in Manpur Tapara VDC, Bardiya)

Abstract

The study on “Knowledge and Utilization of Safe Motherhood Services in TharuCommunity in Manpur Tapara VDC,Bardiya” was carried out by using the primary datacollected in the field survey. The field survey covered the selected wards 2 and 9 of ManpurTapara VDC of Bardiya District and 120 married women aged 15-19 years were selected underthe purposive sampling who had at least one child under age 5 during the period of survey. The main objective of the study was to examine knowledge of safe motherhood, level ofutilization of safe motherhood practices in Tharu community. The relationship between two ormore variables has been examined through tabulation, bar diagram and pie chats. Thedetermining variables for Knowledge and Utilization of Safe Motherhoodare antenatal checkup, TT vaccination, receiving iron tablets and vitamin ‘A’, delivery assistance, place of delivery,use of clean delivery kit and postnatal checkup. The study included 738 populations from 120 households which consist of 53.6 percentmale and 46.4 percent female. The literacy rate of the study population is 69.1 percent. The studyshows 57.7 percentpeople were married, 7.1 percent widow/widower and 1.0 percent divorced/separated. Majority of the households are engaged in agriculture. In the study 88.4 percentrespondents were literate and higher percentage of them were in the age 25-29 years. The studyshows 93.3 percent respondents had the knowledge about safe motherhood.The study reveals65.9 percent respondents received ANC services. Higher percent of respondents received theservice from health post. Similarly, 72.5 percent respondents received TT vaccination, 65percent took iron tablets and 34 percent took vitamin ‘A”. In the study 91.6 percent deliverieswere done at home and only 18.2 percent deliveries were done with clean delivery kit. In thestudy only 6 percent respondent utilized postnatal care and higher percentage (57.1%) of themreceived from health post. The study concluded that there is a positive relationship between education andknowledge, utilization and maternal health care services. There is significant relationshipbetween receiving iron tablets, TT vaccination, Vitamin ‘A’ and age at marriage, level ofeducation of their husband.