Thesis:

Factors associated with maternal mortality among women of reproductive age seeking care at Wajir county referral hospital, Wajir county, Kenya

Mortality among women is the term used to describe deaths caused by problems that arise during pregnancy or childbirth. According to UN interagency projections, the world's mother-to-child mortality ratio (MMR) fell from 342 deaths per 100,000 babies born alive in 2000 to 223 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020, a 34% reduction. This translates to an average rate of decrease of 2.1 percent each year. Despite being a significant figure, this represents only about one-third of the 6.4 percent annual rate needed to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (also known as the SDG) of 70 maternal mortality rates per 100,000 deliveries that are successful by 2030. Finding the factors linked to maternal mortality among reproductive-age women seeking care at the Wajir County Referral Hospital in Wajir County, Kenya, was the primary goal of the study. This study employed a cross-sectional, retrospective, analytical strategy. Two types of data collection methods were utilized during triangulation: qualitative and quantitative. In order to select subjects for the study, both purposive and systematic sampling techniques were used. To generate 366 study participants for the investigation, the Yamane formula for calculating sample size was used. Using binary logistic regression and the chi-square test for independence in inferential statistics, the degree of relationships was determined. A p-value of less than 0.05 was used to indicate statistical significance. The significant variables were imported from the bivariate assessment into binary logistic regression modeling for further analysis. Thematic analysis was employed for qualitative data. Ethical approval was sought from MKU and NACOSTI. The prevalence of maternal mortality in Wajir County was 4.2 %. In the second objective on the association between uptake of ANC and maternal mortality, poor uptake of antenatal care services increased the odds of maternal mortality rate. In the third objective on social demographic factors associated with maternal mortality; study partakers aged 18-23 years, earning 1-10000 Ksh, increased the odds of maternal mortality while being married reduced the odds of maternal mortality. On the fourth objective on health facility factors associated with maternal mortality, not utilizing emergency obstetric and newborn care services, and unavailability of skilled birth attendants increased the odds of maternal mortality while taking 30_60 minutes to reach the nearest health facility reduced the odds. Findings from this research were of vital importance in addressing the maternal mortality rate which is a public health concern and burden in this region. In addition, findings from this research were disseminated to the MOH and the county government of Wajir through seminars and published articles which informed the need to address various factors associated with maternal mortality in this region.