Title : Prevalence of maternal prenatal agbo consumption as a correlate to neonatal anthropometric outcomes among postnatal women in Alimosho general hospital, Igando, Lagos, Nigeria
Abstract:
The development of the fetus is impacted by a complex interaction of environmental, maternal, and genetic factors, such as placental circulation and maternal nutrition. The probability of contracting certain diseases in childhood, and their total burden may have been influenced by changes in lifestyle and environmental exposures throughout pregnancy. Developing successful measures to encourage healthy growth and avoid disease requires an understanding of these aspects. This cross-sectional study focused on maternal consumption of Agbo – a herbal drink believed to ease labor by reducing baby size, and its implications on neonatal health outcomes which consist of the weight, length and head circumference of the neonate at birth. Two (2) research questions and two (2) hypotheses. A multi-stage sampling technique was utilized in selecting 185 mother-baby pairs, from which maternal and cord blood samples, as well as questionnaires were used for data collection. The direct ion selective electrode method was used to determine the blood's calcium content. The statistical software for social sciences (SPSS) version 25 was used to process data collected, and simple frequencies, percentages, and mean were used to display the results on tables. Inferential statistics was analyzed using the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (r). The results showed that women with tertiary education (n = 88, 47.6%), those from the Igbo tribe (n = 71, 38.4%), and mothers between ages 31 and 35 (n = 57, 30.8%) outnumbered the others. Findings revealed that over three-quarters of the women (n=158, 85.4%) affirmed to the consumption of Agbo during the index pregnancy. With regards to the anthropometric outcomes of the newborns, findings revealed that the birth weight of all newborns was appropriate for gestational age, as well as the head circumference which was within normal range. However, over four-fifth of the neonates (n = 155, 83.8%) were shorter than expected. Result on the test of relationship between maternal consumption of Agbo during pregnancy and the birth weight of the newborns indicated no connection where r = –0.033 and p = 0.657. No significant connection was also found between maternal consumption of Agbo during pregnancy and the neonatal length at birth (r = 0.099, p = 0.180). Similarly, there was no link between maternal consumption of Agbo during pregnancy and the head circumference of newborns at birth (r= 0.053, p = 0.471). In conclusion, the prevalence of maternal consumption of Agbo during pregnancy is worrisomely high. Although herbal remedies are widely used in many African societies, their uncontrolled use during pregnancy can be harmful, making this finding culturally relevant. Consequently, this draws attention to an important area of public health education.
