VALUATION OF KNOWLEDGE OF HUSBANDS’ OF PRIMIGRAVIDA ON ANTENATAL CARE AND BIRTH PREPAREDNESS IN OGBOMOSO, SOUTH-WEST, NIGERIA

Background: Antenatal care (ANC) is one of the pillars of safe motherhood. For a successful pregnancy outcome, the support of the family especially the husband cannot be over emphasized. Objective: To assess the knowledge of husbands’ of primigravidae on ANC using the knowledge score. Methodology: Cross sectional descriptive study among consenting husbands of primigravidae attending the ANC at Tertiary and Secondary Health facilities in Ogbomoso with the aid of a structured, pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire given to the primigravidae to be filled by their husbands and brought back at their next visit. Result: The mean age of respondent was 30.6 ±5.3 years. The mean knowledge score was 13.55±6.27. Only 45.4% of respondents have knowledge score above the mean. The educational status (P< 0.001), Occupation (P< 0.001), Type of marriage (P=0.005) and average income earned per month (P <0.002) were statistically related to the level of knowledge. Conclusion: The knowledge of husbands’ of primigravidae on ANC was poor. There is great need to increase the sensitization of husbands of primigravidae on ANC, as each member in the family has a role to play in the course of pregnancy, towards the delivery of a healthy baby to a healthy mother. However, improving level of education, provision of more skillful employment opportunities and improving the remuneration of people will go a long way in achieving this objective.