TITLE:
Determinants of Maternal Mortality at the Women and Newborn Hospital of the University Teaching Hospitals, Lusaka, Zambia
AUTHORS:
Clara Chilufya Mulenga, Sebean Mayimbo, Susan Mutemwa
KEYWORDS:
Determinants, Socio-Demographic, Obstetric Factors, Maternal Mortality, Lusaka
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.15 No.11,
November
4,
2025
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Maternal mortality is a major issue in Zambia and other developing nations, driven by complex sociocultural and logistical factors and poor health services. Despite WHO guidelines, high mortality rates persist, threatening the goal of reducing global maternal deaths to under 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030. This study, therefore, investigated the determinants of maternal mortality at the Women and Newborn Hospital of The University Teaching Hospitals in Lusaka district, Zambia. Methods: The study was conducted at the Women and Newborn Hospital of the University Teaching Hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia. The study employed a hospital-based unmatched case-control study of 150 pregnant women who delivered between January 2022 and December 2023. Data were collected from hospital records using a checklist and analysed using STATA version 14.0 at a 5% significance level. Results: Study participants had a median age of 28 years; and most of the maternal mortality cases (46.0%, 23) occurred during the postpartum period, followed by 36.0% (18) during antepartum. Delay in reaching the facility (type 2 delay) was the most common delay (54.0%), followed by delay in deciding to seek care (type 1) (46.0%). Results revealed that increased maternal age (aOR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.02 - 1.20, p = 0.017), low antenatal visits (aOR = 3.82, 95% CI: 1.32 - 11.1, p = 0.014), and delays in reaching the hospital (aOR = 9.11, 95% CI: 2.64 - 31.5, p Conclusion: Most maternal mortality cases occurred during the postpartum period, and type 2 delay was the most common. Determinants of mortality included maternal age, antenatal visits, postpartum hemorrhage, delays in reaching the hospital, and receiving prompt treatment at Women and Newborn Hospital of the University Teaching Hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia. Findings highlight critical areas requiring intervention to reduce maternal mortality and improve maternal health outcomes.