By Justina Auta
A health communication scholar, Faridah Abraham of Kansas State University, has urged Nigeria to prioritise women’s access to accurate, culturally relevant maternal health information to reduce persistently high maternal deaths nationwide.
Abraham made the call in Abuja, marking International Women’s Day 2026, warning that Nigeria loses about 82,000 women each year to pregnancy- and childbirth-related complications nationwide.
She said the figure among the highest globally showed need to expand maternal health investments beyond hospitals and equipment to ensure women families received timely reliable information before complications become fatal.
According to her major causes of maternal deaths including haemorrhage, hypertensive disorders, infections and obstructed labour are largely preventable when women recognise warning signs early and seek prompt medical care quickly.
“National evidence shows that fewer than half of Nigerian women can identify at least three danger signs during pregnancy indicating a gap between available medical solutions and public awareness,” she said.
Abraham said closing the information gap was central to achieving the 2026 International Women’s Day theme Invest in Women Accelerate Progress and improving maternal survival nationwide through informed families and communities.
She highlighted a research based model called Faridah’s Norms Ecology Framework which examined how social norms, community beliefs and misperceptions shape decisions about seeking maternal healthcare in many communities across Nigeria.
According to Abraham the framework integrates descriptive injunctive and collective norms alongside normative misperceptions to explain how families interpret community expectations and decide whether when and where to seek maternal care.
She explained that in parts of Northern Nigeria, decisions about seeking care are often influenced by perceptions of others’ behaviors, religious expectations, and long-standing community beliefs regarding pregnancy and childbirth outcomes.
“These perceptions may not always reflect reality yet they strongly influence decisions sometimes leading families to dangerous delays in seeking lifesaving medical care during pregnancy or childbirth emergencies across many communities.
“When women survive pregnancy and childbirth labour participation increases, families remain stable and communities become more productive economically households strengthen children thrive and local economies grow faster.
“Ultimately no health facility can save a woman who does not know she is in danger and clinician can intervene if families delay seeking help because of misperceived norms,” she said.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Abiemwense Moru
