AN EVALUATION OF THE KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES OF TRAINED TRADITIONAL BIRTH ATTENDANTS IN BODINGA, SOKOTO STATE, NIGERIA

To improve Maternal and Child Health services especially in the rural areas, a programme to train traditional birth attendants (Ungo Zoma) w as established by the Sokoto State government of Nigeria in 1975. The impact of the training programme on the knowledge and practices of tra ditional birth attendants (TBAs) in a rural community in the state was studied. Seventy-four TBAs, consisting of 43 trained and 31 untrained attendants, were interviewed. Statistically significant differences w ere observed in the proportion of both groups of TBAs able to recogniz e high risk pregnancies and deliveries for referral to health institut ions. In contrast to the trained attendants, none of the untrained TBA s offered any of the following Maternal and Child Health services: ant enatal care, advice on immunization of children or their mothers durin g pregnancy, and family planning. S uggestions for improving the knowl edge and practices of the TBAs in Sokoto as well as in other communiti es wishing to embark on similar programmes are offered.