In 2009 field teams visited 25,745 women aged 15-49 years in Nigeria’s Bauchi and Cross River states to gather information on recent birth history, knowledge and attitudes related to safe birth, and deliveries in the previous three years. We documented 28 factors that could affect the health of pregnant women. The most consistent and prominent of these risk factors was intimate partner violence. Other spouse-related factors included not discussing pregnancy with the spouse, shortage of food in the previous week and female genital mutilation.

These and other findings are the subject of an article in a special supplement of Biomed Central Health Services Research.

Andersson N, Omer K, Caldwell D, Dambam MM, Maikudi AY, Effiong B, Ikpi E, Udofia E, Khan A, Ansari N, Hamel C. Male responsibility and maternal morbidity: a cross-sectional study in two Nigerian states. BMC Health Serv Res 2011 Dec 21;11 Suppl 2:S7. doi: 10.1186/1472-6963-11-S2-S7

For background to the information and planning system, click here.

A short video in which Dr. Neil Andersson elaborates on the theme of safe birth in cultural safety is available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHDiBawGVZ4