Knowledge of Danger Signs during Pregnancy: Recognition and responses to danger signs among women in rural Ghana

Obstetric complications that occur during pregnancy greatly add to maternal mortality worldwide, yet many of these complications can be easily prevented with proper antenatal education. This study was conducted in the Kassena-Nankana (KND) and Kassena-Nankana West (KNWD) districts of the Upper East region of Ghana to assess the ability of pregnant women to recognize, understand, and act upon six severe danger signs (abdominal pains, anemia, headache, swelling, vaginal bleeding, and vomiting) indicative of a complication during pregnancy. 369 women were surveyed at six antenatal clinics within the two districts over a three-week period in November 2009. Based on survey responses, the majority of women attending antenatal clinics (ANC) in the KND and KNWD appeared to recognize and understand danger signs and the need to seek professional health care for these symptoms. Results indicate that a woman's likelihood of seeking care for a pregnancy complication may be dependent upon her knowledge of danger signs during pregnancy, the perceived severity of her complication, and her experiences from previous pregnancies. Antenatal clinics within the two districts varied in what maternal health topics, and even what danger signs, they covered. Such differences in content and quality of antenatal education appear to be another significant factor in how women understand and seek care for danger signs. In order to decrease maternal mortality in the Kassena-Nankana districts, district health officials should ensure that antenatal clinic education is standardized so that all women receive the same information on danger signs during pregnancy.