Author(s)

Améyo Ayoko Ketevi^1*, Akila Bassowa², Bidilukinu Katende¹, Dédé Régine Diane Ajavon³, Adjo Sylvie Biwuh¹, Alessi Andele¹, Abdoul-Samadou Aboubakari⁴, Koffi Akpadza¹

¹Department of Gynecology-Obstetrics, Sylvanus Olympio Teaching Hospital, Lome, Togo.
²Department of Gynecology-Obstetrics, Campus Teaching Hospital, Lome, Togo.
³Department of Gynecology-Obstetrics, Regional Hospital Center, Kara, Togo.
⁴Department of Gynecology-Obstetrics, Kara Teaching Hospital, Lome, Togo.

Introduction: Home birth or unassisted birth means for a woman to make the decision to give birth at home, not alone in absolute terms, but without professional assistance, be it that of a midwife, a doctor or any other person with midwifery qualifications. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted from November 04^th to December 21^st, 2019 and from August 17^th to August 21^st, 2020, in the community of Dagbati, in 33 women who gave birth at home, received at the USP of Dagbati and during advanced strategies; who were registered or not in the delivery register of USP Dagbati and who agreed to participate in the survey freely and in an informed manner. Results: Of the 48 deliveries that took place in the locality during our study period, 33 took place at home, with a rate of 68.7%. The average age of the women giving birth was 26.33 years with extremes of 15 and 47 years. In 42.4% of cases, they were farmers. Twenty-seven women who gave birth had farmer spouses (81.9%). The distance between their house and the health center was greater than 2 km in 78.8% of cases. Among the reasons for giving birth at home, the lack of financial means was mentioned in 60.6%. In 63.6%, the family had assisted the women in giving birth. Conclusion: Home birth is still a reality in our communities, despite the increased number of health facilities. The sensitization of the population, the improvement of the conditions of accessibility to the health center, the quality of obstetric care, and also, the improvement of the living conditions of women will surely allow a total abandonment of home births.

Home Births, Dagbati, Determinants, Parturient, Togo

Ketevi, A. , Bassowa, A. , Katende, B. , Ajavon, D. , Biwuh, A. , Andele, A. , Aboubakari, A. and Akpadza, K. (2022) Determinants of Home Birth in the Community of Dagbati in Togo. Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 12, 520-527. doi: 10.4236/ojog.2022.126046.