Improving maternal health status of women of the Ata tribe at Barangay Tapak, Paquibato District, Davao City /
Myles Clement R. Ababon.
- xiii, 61 leaves: color illustrations
Graduate School of Public and Development Management
Pregnancy and childbirth is one of the most wonderful moments in humanity, and people deserve the best of all circumstances , including enhancing the experience and reducing unnecessary interventions. Giving birth at home seems like the most natural way to deliver a baby, but several studies show that it poses serious risk on both the mother and the baby. Despite all the modern advances, there are still women who prefer giving birth at home rather than a hospital. In the Philippines, in a report from the Department of Health in 2012, 162 out of the 100,000 mothers giving birth in the Philippines die from the lackof attending medical professionals and obstetric care (DOH 2014) Davao City has a maternal mortality ratio of 70 per 100, 000 live births (Davao City Health Office, 2014). Paquibato District has a maternal mortality ratio of 225 / 1000,000 and 263 / 100,000 for the years 2014 and 2015 respectively. Barangay Tapak being the 3rd most populated of the 13 barangays i Paquibato District, has one of the lowest maternal health indicators. The Ata tribe is one of the 11 tribes in Davao City. Located at Barangay Tapak is around 75% of the total IP communities situated at Paquibato District, Davao City. The area of this study situates the Ata tribes that can be considered living with very limited resources therefore possibly contributing to a decrease in maternal indices and poses a great threat to them during both pregnancy and childbirth. The study seeks to improve maternal health status of women of the Ata tribe of Barangay Tapak, Paquibato District, Davao City. This study explored why mothers still preferred home delivery attended by traditional birth attendants or hilots despite the known risks it carries. Using a qualitative method of study design , the researcher invited seven mothers and eight traditional birth attendants and organized a focused-group discussion and few key informant interviews of excerpts in relation to the topic. Although these seven mothers might not be representative of the entire barangay and tribe, the researcher was still able to investigate relevant and interesting insights and perceptions that these mothers and hilots have towards home delivery. Among the cited reasons pointed out by the participants are the following: economic reasons, precipitous labor, access to services, perception on the expertise of birth attendants, and comfort and convenience. It is recommended to advance maternal pubic health involvements and strategies continuously to foster the health and welfare of mothers and their infants. It can be done through engagements of women in strategy planning, provision of quality, cheap and more accessible health services, infrastructural development like building up of barangay roads to diminish travel time and constant health education.
Maternal health promotion--Barangay Tapak, Paquibato District, Davao City, Philippines. Maternal mortality. Maternal health services.