Culture and Birth Outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review of Literature.
INTRODUCTION
Almost 830 women die daily in childbirth with 550 of those deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. This region has the highest maternal mortality rates in the world with 546 deaths per 100,000 live births. Research must focus on understanding cultural beliefs and practices to improve maternal health outcomes. The purpose of this review is to provide evidence of relevant cultural beliefs and the impact on birth outcomes for women in sub-Saharan Africa.


METHOD
Using PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, the literature focused on 25 articles that defined, directly or indirectly, associations of cultural values, beliefs, and lifeways to pregnancy and birth from the perspective of women of childbearing age.


RESULTS
Three relevant categories emerged from the literature: birth outcomes, maternal care-seeking, and maternal culture care.


DISCUSSION
Women's voices and an understanding of cultural constructs of care are required to encourage the use of biomedical health system along with the use of indigenous practices.
['Lang-Baldé|Rachel|R|', 'Amerson|Roxanne|R|']
D000328:Adult D017954:Africa South of the Sahara D003469:Culture D005260:Female D006297:Health Services Accessibility D006801:Humans D011247:Pregnancy D011256:Pregnancy Outcome
culture birth outcomes sub-Saharan Africa cultural beliefs and practices pregnancy