Knowledge and Perception Birth Injuries among Women of Childbearing Age in Nnewi, Anambra State: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Childbirth is a significant event for women of childbearing age. While it can be a joyful experience, it can also be accompanied by injuries that can have short- and long-term effects on a woman’s physical and mental well-being. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge and perception of women of childbearing age concerning birth injuries and their predisposing factors. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 193 women of childbearing age recruited from Nnewi North, Anambra State. Spearman rank correlation and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to analyze data. Results: This study involved 192 participants, 76.7% aged 15–23 years and 22.8% aged 24–29 (22.8%). Most participants were single (98.4%) and had not given birth (90.7%). Social media (61.66%) and school/training programs (57.51%) were the primary sources of information. Most participants (84.5%) knew about birth injuries, and 94.8% believed that they could be prevented. Most participants recognized the risk factors (97.4%) and consequences (95.9%) of birth injuries. Approximately 54.4% perceived birth injuries as not having a permanent cure, and 69.9% understood predisposing factors. Age and number of offspring did not significantly affect knowledge or perception of birth injuries (P>0.05). Conclusions: There is a need to improve awareness to stimulate improved knowledge and perception of birth injuries. This may translate to better prevention measures against complications with birth injuries and better acceptance of the affected children by women of childbearing age.