| dc.description.abstract | The study was conducted in October 2014 in Arua school of nursing and midwifery in Arua district. The purpose of the study was to assess the knowledge and attitudes towards obstetric fistula among the population of Arua school of nursing and midwifery. The research was descriptive in form of a cross-sectional study. The respondents were chosen through simple random sampling method. From the total of 354 respondents who were given questionnaires within this period, findings were compiled, analyzed, and results presented and interpreted after words. A majority (97.5%) of the population was knowledgeable about obstetric fistula, 42.19% believed that it has no cure only 17.58% , believed that a woman could develop obstetric fistula if she is bewitched. A majority of the respondents knew at least half of the risk factors for obstetric fistula except that they did not know about a few of the risk factors such as Illiteracy, being far away from the health center, Staying in a rural place, being short on average 142 cm, conception before the age of 18 years, and being poor. Most respondents (92.07%) were able to recognize how fistula results from obstructed labour. 89.44% knew that obstetric fistula occurs when a laboring woman has a full bladder and that when a midwife is not skilled, a mother is at a risk for obstetric fistula (89.44%). However, 66.49% of the respondents believed that too much sex during pregnancy causes obstetric fistula and on the other hand, 72.68% believed that having many sexual partners causes. In this study, about 264 respondents had positive attitudes whereas only 90 had negative attitudes. It was evident that respondents were more interested in issues about obstetric fistula (90.06% respondents) than they were empathetic about it (64.07% respondents). With the predetermined alpha level of significance of 0.05 and p <0.05 it was found that „‟ There is a statistically significant difference in the proportion of respondents who had a positive attitude towards obstetric fistula‟‟. The conclusion was that the respondents were knowledgeable and mos had positive attitude, and the researcher made recommendations to the health staffs, training schools, and the government. | en_US |
