TITLE:
Factors Contributing to Increased Stillbirths at Senga District Hospital, Zambia
AUTHORS:
Gillian Lebetina C. Mvula, Caroline Zulu, Phadaless Phiri Sinkamba
KEYWORDS:
Low- and Middle-Income Countries, Stillbirths, Fresh Stillbirths, Macerated Stillbirths, High Income Countries, Low Income Countries
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.15 No.7,
July
25,
2025
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Worldwide approximately 2.6 million stillbirths occur yearly. The rate of stillbirths in sub-Saharan Africa is approximately 10 times more than that of developed countries yet only 17% of all available information is from these regions with about 98% the burden of stillbirths. The aim of the study was to investigate factors contributing to the high rates of stillbirths in Senga-Hills District in Zambia. Methods: A mixed-method design, combining a retrospective quantitative study with qualitative study was conducted at Senga District Hospital in Senga Hills District, Northern Province in Zambia. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 300 case files of women of childbearing age who gave birth 12 months prior to the study and purposive sampling was used to select 20 postnatal mothers for the follow-up qualitative study, the method used helped gain initial data from the records and time was managed well. Data were collected using a structured data abstraction tool on maternal-linked postnatal data. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 27.0 for the quantitative survey and thematic analysis for the qualitative study. Both descriptive and inferential analyses were performed and statistical significance was taken at α ≤ 0.05. Results: The results show that 72 (24%) respondents were in the age bracket 25 - 29 years. Of the 300 respondents included in the study, 100 (33.3%) of them had delivered a still baby. The results showed that low ANC attendance ([AOR: 52.76; 95% CI: 1.12 - 2479.42; p = 0.044], anemia [AOR: 8.27; 95% CI: 2.53 - 26.98; p Conclusion: Results of this study indicated that stillbirths were as common in Senga district (152 stillbirths in three years) as reported in other developing countries as they had been in the past. Thus, health professionals need to re-emphasize the importance of ANC examination, so that problems are identified promptly and the woman referred effectively; and to enhance on refresher courses for the midwives in the primary levels of health care so that they are updated on the modern obstetrics care. Further, integrating safe cultural practices with modern healthcare and providing culturally sensitive care can help improve maternal health outcomes.