THE IMPACT OF POVERTY ON MATERNAL MORBIDITY IN SHANGA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KEBBI STATE

Abstract

This paper explored the impact of poverty on maternal morbidity, characterized by limited access to essential resources such as healthcare; sustained nutrition and education, which significantly exacerbate maternal morbidity in Shanga Local Government Area of Kebbi State. In most of the lower income communities in developing countries, women often face barriers to accessing quality prenatal care, leading to delayed or inadequate medical attention during pregnancy. It is against this background that the paper examined the incidence of maternal morbidity in Shanga LGA. The Relative deprivation theory was adopted as the paper’s theoretical framework.  Questionnaire and key informant interview were utilized as the primary instruments of data collection. Purposive sampling technique was used to select only women aged between 15 and 59 years who were included in the study. Data collected from the questionnaire were analysed descriptively using tables and percentages while data from KII were analysed descriptively. Findings from the study indicated that the prevalence of maternal morbidity was high in Shanga Local Government Area of Kebbi State. The study also discovered that due to poverty, most women do not have transport to go to the hospital for antennal care as well as lack money to buy nutritious food and drugs in Shanga Local Government. The study recommends that Government should bring antenatal clinics closer to the communities and also empower women with loans and skill acquisition programmes to enable them cater for their needs, especially during pregnancy.