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Socio-Demographic and Some Anamnestic Characteristics of Antenatal Patients in Nigeria and Germany


Polite I. Onwuhafua
W. Kunzel

Abstract

Objective: To examine the socio-demographic characteristics of the two populations, with a view to identifying areas where intervention could lead to better reproductive performance.


Study Design: Prospective study of consecutive deliveries .


Setting: A university teaching hospital in Nigeria and the perinatal data pool of the state of Hesse, Germany.


Results: There were more teenage mothers in Nigeria(2.7%) than in Germany(0.6%). Reproduction starts earlier in Nigeria (22.2, SD 3.9 years) than in Germany (26.7, SD 4.5 years). There is a remarkable decrease in the number of pregnant women as parity increases in the two populations. Germans are generally taller than the Nigerians, 3.1% of Nigerians and 0.4% of Germans being below the critical obstetric height. In Nigeria, 60.2% of women continued wage-earning jobs during pregnancy compared to 43.3% in Germany. In Nigeria, 0.4% of the women are single mothers compared to 6.9% in Germany. Only 0.1% of Nigerian pregnant women smoke during pregnancy compared to 15% of the Germans. Drug abuse is not reported among Nigerian pregnant women compared to the 5.8% prevalence in German women. First induced abortion is more common in Germans than in Nigerians but the Nigerian is more likely to have had multiple induced abortions.


Conclusion: The Germans appear to have a clear socio-biological advantage over the Nigerians with regard to reproduction.


Key Words: Antenatal, Socio-Demographic, Anamnestic, Outcome.


[Trop J Obstet Gynaecol, 2002, 19: 93- 96]

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