| Issue/Objective |
Maternal and newborn health outcomes in Sierra Leone remain
among the poorest globally, driven by a complicated interaction between socio-demographic, systemic, and behavioral factors. Understanding how integrated strategies influence healthcare-seeking behavior is critical.
for tailoring interventions that reduce delays and improve maternal outcomes. This study aimed to identify high-impact strategies addressing
predisposing, enabling, and illness-level factors affecting maternal and
newborn healthcare-seeking behavior in Bo District, Sierra Leone. |
| Methodology/Approach |
A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Bo
Government Hospital (urban) and Tikonko Maternity Home (rural) between
January and May 2024. Using simple random sampling, 500 participants -
294 pregnant women and 206 mothers of children under five were
selected from facility attendance lists. Quantitative data was collected.
through structured interviews using a digital questionnaire administered
via the ONA platform. Descriptive analysis was performed using SPSS.
version 26 to identify patterns in healthcare-seeking preferences and
perceived effectiveness of integrated health strategies. |
| Results |
The mean age of pregnant participants was 24.83 years
(SD 4.74), and average household income showed substantial disparity
(mean 335.03 NLE; SD 668.49). For predisposing factors, preferred
strategies included prenatal education (25.91%) and community outreach
for early antenatal care (24.12%). Enabling factors were most influenced
by transportation support (24.6%) and access to affordable care (24.21%).
Illness-level strategies prioritized by participants included strengthening
maternal health surveillance systems (27.55%) and prenatal screening
services (23.08%). Education level, income, and parity were identified
as key determinants of healthcare-seeking behavior, with marked
disparities between urban and rural participants. |
| Discussion/Conclusion |
Integrated strategies combining health education, community
outreach, logistical and financial support, and health system
Strengthening is the most effective in influencing maternal and newborn
healthcare-seeking behavior in Sierra Leone. Culturally tailored, equitable, and evidence-informed approaches improve maternal health service utilization in low-resource settings. These findings provide actionable guidance for policymakers and implementers designing context-specific maternal health interventions in sub-Saharan Africa and comparable resource-constrained settings globally. |
| Presenters and Affiliations |
Ntambara Steven Centre for Impact, Innovation and Capacity building for Health Information Systems and Nutrition (CIIC-HIN), Kigali, Rwanda |
