What research question do you think you will need to find an answer to in order to be able to resolve this problem?
TOPIC: Initiatives and interventions to reduce maternal mortality in Rural Nigeria. A quantitative Approach.
INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND – The public health problem that you wish to address (maximum 100 words)
Maternal Mortality, a global public health concern has high rate of occurrence in Sub-Saharan Africa with Nigeria leading by contributing 20% of global statistics (WHO 2019). Nigeria has struggled to reduce this menace despite several local and international interventions. This study will review the outcomes of maternal mortality initiatives and interventions in Nigeria and further relate Eager’s (2004) and Nathanson’ s (1996) theories to evaluate ideas that offers explanation for decline in maternal mortality. The Community-Based interventions will partially fill the gap in documentation and processes contributing to reduction of maternal mortality in consonance with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
What research question do you think you will need to find an answer to in order to be able to resolve this problem? (Maximum 100 words)
The primary target of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to ensure healthy living and promote the wellbeing. Numerous strategies and interventions have been proposed and implemented for reducing maternal mortality. This study will seek to answer, “To what extent can the reduction in the maternal mortality ratio be linked to ‘transformational agents’ and to the social construction of maternal health as a significant national issue in Nigeria based on available Literature.
RESEARCH AIM(s) and objectives (maximum 100 words)
The aim of this dissertation is to review the evidence from initiatives and interventions in reducing maternal mortality in rural Nigeria. The research objectives will Identifying interventions, programs or strategies taken by the Nigerian government that relate specifically to maternal health and reduction of maternal mortality. Secondly, identify the roles of individuals, local organizations, international agencies and social activism have played in reducing maternal mortalities in Nigeria and how it relates to the Eager (2004) and Nathanson’ s (1996) theories respectively.
METHOD (maximum 100 words)
Systematic searches were conducted from 1 April to 04 June 2022 in PubMed, Lancet, BMJ, Google scholar and the Bradford University Library Summon for available secondary data. Publications with interventions and programs to reduce maternal mortality in Nigeria were included The data extracted included source and year of publication, geographical setting, study design, target population(s), type of intervention/programme, reported outcomes and any reported facilitators or barriers. An additional step involved the supplemented searches of reference lists of the included articles to assess whether studies that are more eligible can be identified and included in consonance with Harvard Referencing standard.
POPULATION – What is your target population for your research? (Maximum 50 words) *
Interventions to reducing maternal mortality is a collaborative effort. Hence, the targeted population to achieve this objective will focus on these actors: Women of childbearing age in Nigeria and adolescent, health workers and promoters, Community leaders and policy makers.
DATA COLLECTION – What type of data collection method do you plan to use? (maximum 50 word) *
This study relies on documentary or secondary data, which are available through the internet, publications from Demographic Health services and Bradford University library using key phrases: “Maternal Mortality”, Interventions”, “Reduction or Decline” community-based and “Nigeria”. Data used are public and accessible. These data provides description of interventions at different times.
DATA ANALYSIS – What data analysis method will you choose? (maximum 100 words)
Data analysis will employ the process tracing method. It entails the utilization of important indicators from theory to produce an explanation for a specific event’s outcome (George and Bennett 2005). In other words, this method will help trace the sequence of events and results and how they correspond to the theoretical framework. This study will trace maternal health interventions by Nigerian government, other government and international agencies, contributions by social activist groups and “transformative actors”, with relationship to the processes of social construction of maternal mortality as a serious issue and how these events explain the outcome of Maternal Mortality.
THEORETICAL CONCEPTS AND THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK – Which theoretical concept(s) will you use to underpin your conceptual framework and research project? (maximum 100 words) *
The Theoretical concept from Eager (2004) and Nathanson (1996), will be used to answer the research question: “To what extent can the reduction in the maternal mortality rate in Nigeria linked to ‘transformational agents’ and to the social construction of maternal health and mortality. The transformational actors as those agents who have the capacity or power to change an existing norm. These theorists emphasized the role of government collaboration between medical professionals and non- governmental actors, and social movements in labeling specific health “risks” as critical to the nation and thereby bringing about outcomes in public health problems.
KEY REFERENCES – Main publications that are relevant to your topic:
In Progress!!
