Birth Preparedness and Complication Readiness among Women of Child Bearing Age in Peri Urban Areas of Lahore

Background: Globally, many initiatives have been taken to ensure safe motherhood. World Health Organization recommends birth preparedness and complication readiness (BPCR) as a strategy to improve maternal well-being. Objective: The study aimed to assess birth preparedness and complication readiness among women of child bearing age residing in peri-urban area. Study Design: Community based cross-sectional study. Settings: Three Peri-urban areas of Lahore Pakistan. Duration: June 2022 to October 2022. Methods: Data was collected by a validated questionnaire. Convenience sampling was used to include 391 women who delivered in last 12 months. BPCR was measured using items like identification of skilled birth attendant, decision regarding place of delivery, plan of transportation and saving money. Women who scored 3 or more were labeled “well prepared”. Participants who mentioned two or more danger signs in pregnancy, delivery and post-partum, were labelled knowledgeable for each phase. Data was analyzed in SPSS version 23. Chi square test was applied. p value ≤ 0.05 was labelled as significant. Results: Mean age of respondents was 26.8 ±5.4 years. About 307(78.5%) were well prepared. BPCR was significantly associated with education level of spouse (p=0.03), no of ante natal visits (p=0.05), being informed about BPCR (p<0.001), place of delivery (p= 0.008), knowledge about danger sign in pregnancy (p=0.02) and knowledge about the danger signs in labor (p=0.04). Conclusion: Significant proportion of participants was well prepared. BPCR was significantly associated with spouse’s education level, no of ante natal visits, information about BPCR, place of delivery and knowledge about danger sign.