Background The World Health Organization encourages countries to improve birth outcomes to reduce rates of neonatal mortality and morbidity. Purpose This study was designed to examine the effect of environmental crude oil pollution on newborn birth outcomes in Rivers State, Nigeria. Methods A retrospective cohort design was used to examine the effects of exposure to oil pollution on birth outcomes using facility-based records. K-Dere (an oil-polluted community) served as the exposure group, whereas birth records from Iriebe served as the comparison group. A sample size of 338 systematically selected birth records was examined (169 records for each arm of the study). A data extraction sheet was used for data collection. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics at p < .05. Results The risk of preterm birth was significantly higher in the exposed group (16% vs. 7.7%, relative risk = 2.08, 95% CI [1.11, 3.89], p = .018). At 6 weeks after birth, newborns in the exposed group weighed significantly less (4.64 ± 0.82 vs. 4.85 ± 0.92 kg, p = .032) and reported significantly higher incidence of morbidity compared with the newborns in the comparison group (relative risk = 3.03, 95% CI [2.20, 4.19], p < .001). Conclusions The oil-polluted area examined in this study was found to have a higher risk of preterm birth, a slower rate of newborn growth, and a higher rate of newborn morbidity than the non-oil-polluted area at 6 weeks after birth. Stakeholders should sustain efforts to remediate the environment in polluted regions and prevent oil pollution. Future research should investigate the mechanisms of the observed toxicological effects and the targeted protection of vulnerable groups in oil-polluted communities.
Background: Skilled maternal healthcare services in primary healthcare centres (PHCs) are aimed at preventing childbirth complications. This study examined the primary maternal healthcare service utilization among pregnant women in the oil-producing Nchia-Eleme community in Nigeria.Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was applied to a purposive sample of 250 pregnant women in Nchia-Eleme from February to April 2022 during an oil spill clean-up exercise. Data were collected using a novel semi-structured questionnaire. Data description and analysis were done with frequency, percentage, and odds ratio at a 5% level of significance.Results: More than half (58.4%) of the respondents completed four focused antenatal visits in a PHC in their previous pregnancy. Less than half (34%) of them gave birth in a PHC. Apart from the PHC, the other places the respondents gave birth were the trained midwife’s home (32%) and the traditional birth attendant’s facility (19.6%) among others. The most cited reason for the non-utilization of birth services in the PHC was that labour began at night and the chosen birthplace was closer to home (32.4%). Respondents with at most a secondary school education had 2.7 times greater odds of not giving birth in a PHC compared to those with at least a diploma (p<0.001).Conclusions: The utilization of maternal healthcare services in PHCs is poor in Nchia-Eleme and lower educational attainment is associated with the poor utilization. More targeted interventions to reduce the gap in ANC and birth care utilization are recommended.
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