Role of Education on Maternal Mortality: A Study of South Senatorial District of Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examines the role of education on maternal mortality in Edo South senatorial district of Edo state, Nigeria. The study adopted the survey research design. The population of the study included all females within the reproductive age of 15-49years. This age bracket was adopted because it is in line with the World Health Organisation (WHO) standard definition of reproductive age of women. Cluster sampling was adopted in this study. The local government areas (LGAs) in the district constituted the cluster. From the list of LGAs, simple random sampling was used to select three LGAs. The wards in each LGA selected were further listed. The findings revealed that education is a key determinant of maternal healthcare and invariably maternal mortality in South Senatorial District of Edo State. It was discovered that women who are not knowledgeable in the act of seeking healthcare are less likely to utilise healthcare service when pregnant especially in the rural area and urban slums. This is because access is a matter of the knowledge of the functionality of the service of the healthcare providers.