A health communication scholar, Faridah Abraham of Kansas State University, has urged Nigeria to prioritize women’s access to accurate, culturally relevant maternal health information to reduce persistently high maternal deaths nationwide.
Abraham made the call on Sunday in Abuja, marking International Women’s Day 2026. She warned that Nigeria loses about 82,000 women each year to pregnancy- and childbirth-related complications.
She described the figure—one of the highest globally—as underscoring the need to expand maternal health investments beyond hospitals and equipment. This must include ensuring that women and families receive timely, reliable information before complications become fatal.
According to Abraham, major causes of maternal deaths—including haemorrhage, hypertensive disorders, infections, and obstructed labor—are largely preventable when women recognize warning signs early and seek prompt medical care.
“National evidence shows that fewer than half of Nigerian women can identify at least three danger signs during pregnancy, indicating a significant gap between available medical solutions and public awareness,” she said.
Abraham emphasized that closing the information gap is central to achieving the 2026 International Women’s Day theme, “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress,” and to improving maternal survival nationwide through better-informed families and communities.
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She highlighted her research-based model, Faridah’s Norms Ecology Framework, which examines how social norms, community beliefs, and misperceptions shape decisions about seeking maternal healthcare in many Nigerian communities.
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,” she said.
“When women survive pregnancy and childbirth, labor force participation increases, families remain stable, 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 no clinician can intervene if families delay seeking help because of misperceived norms,” she concluded.
