Title:Skilled Birth Attendant and Its Determinants among the Tribal Women of Bangladesh
VOLUME: 16 ISSUE: 2
Author(s):Abu Naser MD. Rezaul Karim*
Affiliation:Department of Computer Science and Engineering, International Islamic University Chittagong, Chittagong
Keywords:Skilled birth attendant, traditional (conventional/untrained) birth attendants, trained traditional birth attendants,
home delivery, tribal women, institutional delivery.
Abstract:Background: The indigenous people are socially, linguistically, and scientifically diverse.
A global trend leads us to the notion that primitive women are somewhat less privileged than
non-tribal mothers around the world. This problem also sounds true in the context of Bangladesh. A
competent birth attendant at birth is the most important intervention for pregnant women. However,
the use of skilled birth attendants has been widely discriminated among tribal and non-tribal
women.
Objective: This study assesses SBA acceptance and utilization barriers during childbirth among
Bangladesh tribal women.
Methods: A quantitative approach was employed, and the data were collected via questionnaires.
Descriptive statistics, Chi-square (χ
2) tests and Binary Logistic Regression were used to analyze
the frequency, relationship, and to determine tribal women seeking the services of SBA during
childbirth.
Results: The results showed that the highest prevalence of delivery (66%) among tribal women
occurred at home. 46% of the mothers gave birth to their children with the assistance of a skilled
birth attendant, of which 12% of them were at home, and 34% were in the hospital. The remaining
54% of mothers gave birth to their babies with the assistance of a traditional midwife. Results also
show that socio-economic conditions, education of women, distance from health care facilities,
family planning, husbands’ occupation, and media exposure are the key determinants in pursuing
SBA.
Conclusion: The study revealed a low prevalence of utilizing skilled birth attendance among tribal
women of Bangladesh. Hence, upgrading socio-economic conditions and boosting the education
levels of tribal women, ensuring easy access to the media, and launching short-term training to train
typical birth attendants are the key recommendations for seeking expert birth attendants.