| Abstract |
In health care delivery system, the nurse interacts with people of diverse cultural backgrounds. According to a survey, maternal mortality rate among Filipino Muslims is twice as high as the national average of 162 per 100,000 live births, and they have high unmet needs for family planning with lowest contraceptive prevalence rate (National Health and Demographic Survey, 2008).
Therefore, this study was conducted to determine and compare the health beliefs and practices on maternal and child care and family planning of Maranao women from urban and rural barangays of Iligan City. Researcher-structured questionnaire and personal interviews were used after being pilot tested to gather data from 250 respondents.
The results of the study showed that most mothers from both barangays lacked access to health care institutions and awareness on the importance of prenatal services. Most of the respondents were aware and informed of Family Planning Program but majority, 64.80% from the urban and 65.60% from the rural respondents do not use contraceptives. Furthermore, their maternal and child health and family planning practices are primarily affected by their religious, cultural perceptions and beliefs resulting to high unmet needs. Lastly, Maranao women from rural barangays have poor compliance and practices than women from urban barangays. Culturally sensitive health care delivery is therefore a critical need and inclusion of Maranao religious leaders in the dissemination of information about Family Planning and maternal and child care is highly recommended for better compliance.
Keywords: maternal and child health, family planning, transcultural nursing |
Mindanao State
University - Iligan Institute of Technology