PERCEIVED HEALTH RISKS OF OIL POLLUTION AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN IN GOKANA COMMUNITY

Abstract

This study examined the attitude of pregnant women towards oil spillage effects on pregnancy outcomes in Gokana, Rivers State. The study adopted a community-based cross-sectional design. The population of the study comprised 384 pregnant women living in Mogho and Bodo communities of Gokana out of which 197 were selected using simple random sampling technique with 192 valid for data analysis. A self-structured questionnaire designed on the modified 4-point likert scale format was used for data collection with a reliability index of 0.85.  Data was analysed using descriptive statistics of frequencies, percentages, mean, standard deviation and inferential statistics of chi-square. Results revealed that out of the 192 respondents studied, 152(79.2%) had negative attitude while 40(20.8%) had positive attitude towards oil spillage effects on pregnancy outcomes; the factors influencing the attitude of pregnant women towards oil spillage effects on pregnancy outcomes include type of accommodation/community, occupation, culture, age, awareness/knowledge of pregnant women regarding oil spillage effects on pregnancy outcomes, educational attainment, level of poverty and personal beliefs/perceptions. The study concluded that majority of pregnant women had negative attitude towards oil spillage effects on pregnancy outcomes. The need for behavioural intervention to enhance the attitude of pregnant women towards oil spillage effects on pregnancy outcomes was recommended