Perinatal Mortality in Rural Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract

Perinatal Mortality in Rural Delta State Nigeria was Considered between 2005 – 2014. Out of 5160 deliveries, 480 Perinatal deaths were observed. Perinatal Mortality Rate was 93/1000 deliveries, Still Birth Rate was 51.2/1000 deliveries and Early Neo-Natal Death Rate was 41.3/1000 deliveries, A definite Trend in Perinatal Mortality defined by the linear mode ŷ_t = 50.712 + 8.817t was observed. Perinatal Mortality Rate was highest amongst Infant ≤ 1000g of Weight (759.1/1000) also amongst Mothers Aged 35 years and above (128.7/1000) and also amongst Teenage Mothers (118.5/1000). Mother with No Education had rate as high as (213.6/1000) as compared to Educated Mothers (12.9/1000). Unbooked cases had a high PNMR (224.2/1000) as compared to Booked cases (21.6/1000). It was also observed that a week relationship exists between Perinatal Mortality and Sex of the Infant (P- value = 0.000, ɸ = 0.198) while a strong relationship exists between Booking status and Perinatal Mortality and between Maternal Educational Status and Perinatal Mortality (P-value= 0.000, ɸ = 0.587), (P- value= 0.000, ɸ = 0.730) respectively. The null hypothesis that the independent variables as a group are not related to perinatal death was rejected at 5% level of significance (Omnibus Test of Model Coefficient; χ²= 944.041, P-value= 0.000), the null hypothesis that the logistic model adequately fits the data was accepted at 5% level of significance (Hosmer and Lemeshow Test; χ² = 9.8990, P-value= 0.2743). The odds of Perinatal death occurring is 1.433 times higher for Male Birth than they are for Female Birth, 2.807 times higher for babies born to Uneducated Mothers as opposed to Educated Mothers and 2.037 time higher for Unbooked cases than they are for Booked cases.

Keywords: Perinatal Mortality, Neonatal Death, Still Birth, Booked and Unbooked Cases, Gestational Age, Parity, Birth Weight, Delta State.