Prevalence and factors associated with rural mothers' protection against tetanus: a cross-national analysis in 33 sub-Saharan African countries

Background Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and South Asia account for most new cases of tetanus. Despite efforts by the World Health Organization to eradicate tetanus, it still causes many maternal mortalities. We examined the prevalence and risk factors associated with tetanus protection among rural mothers in 33 SSA countries.Methods Data were extracted from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys of 33 SSA countries. A sample of 162 601 women from rural areas was drawn. Both descriptive and binary logistic regression analyses were conducted.Results Overall, approximately half (49.3%) of rural mothers were protected against tetanus. The association between maternal age, education, marital status, working status, distance to the health facility and number of antenatal visits were statistically significant with rural mothers' protection from tetanus. Also, relationship to the household head, household size and frequency of listening to radio, reading a newspaper and watching television were statistically significant in predicting rural mothers' protection from tetanus.Conclusions Policies and interventions by stakeholders must target high-risk populations, including adult women, those of poorer wealth status, those without media exposure and mothers with low educational attainment.

Automated summary

Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have the highest number of new tetanus cases. A study found that the tetanus protection rate among rural mothers is low, and is associated with factors such as age, education level, marital status, working status, distance to healthcare facilities, and number of antenatal visits.