MAGNITUDE OF CULTURAL MALPRACTICE DURING PREGNANCY, CHILDBIRTH AND POSTNATAL IN WOLKITE

Abstract

Background: Women are pillars of a society and new born are the hope of a nation. Protecting them ensures a bright future. And this is the responsibility of a society as a whole. Society has its own belief and culture. Oxford dictionary defined culture as the belief and attitude about something that people in particular group or organization share. On its tenth edition malpractice is defined as improper, illegal or negligent activity or treatment, so cultural malpractice is any illegal or improper activity which is believed by people in a certain group. It affects the day to day activities of individuals. Nowadays, many researches show that cultural malpractices are highly affecting mothers and newborn babies. It is the major contributing factor for the death of mothers and needs to be addressed. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the magnitude of cultural malpractice during pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal period among women of childbearing age in wolkite town, Gurage zone. Method: The study was conducted using community based cross sectional study method and was determined cultural malpractices that take place during pregnancy, child birth and postnatal period among women of the reproductive age group interviewed during the study period from wolkite town. The study was conducted from December 21/2020 to December 24/2020.The study unit was selected by using systematic random sampling technique from women of childbearing age that are eligible for the study and permanent residents. A total of 150 women were included. The data was collected by interviewing the respondents using the semi structured questionnaire. Finally, the data was entered and analyzed by using SPSS Version 20. RESULT: Out of 150 respondents, 64 (42.7%) performed cultural malpractice during pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal. About 20 (13.3%) attended home delivery and 8% of them avoided colostrum. Among 150 respondents, 36.6% washed their babies before 24hours of giving birthConclusion: Cultural malpractice in Wolkite still exists and needs more intervention