The role of distance and transportation in decision making to seek emergency obstetric care among women of reproductive age in south–South Nigeria: A mixed methods study

OBJECTIVE: To explore the role of transportation in seeking emergency obstetric care among women with obstetric complications. METHODS: A mixed‐methods design. The study population comprised women aged 15–49 years who had experience direct obstetric complications and were attending the health facility for care at the time of this study. A total of 318 women completed the questionnaires, and in‐depth interviews were held for six women who were purposively selected from the 318 respondents. Both questionnaire and semi‐structured interviews were used in collecting data for this study. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS using both inferential and bivariate analysis, and a qualitative content analysis was carried out on the qualitative data. RESULTS: Of the 318 respondents, 290 (91.2%) accessed health facilities by motorized transport with 28 (8.8%) on foot. Mode of transportation was related to regularity at prenatal care (P = 0.003), with those who came on foot being regular attenders compared with those that came on motorized transport. CONCLUSION: An efficient and suitable transport system as well as distance are key factors influencing women’s role in decision making to seek care.