Correlates of obstetric violence by maternity care providers during antenatal consultations and childbirth in two referral hospitals in Bafoussam (West-Cameroon)

Abstract Objective determine the prevalence of Obstetric Violence (OV) and its correlates in Bafoussam. Methodology we conducted a quantitative hospital-based survey at the Bafoussam Regional Hospital (BRH) and the Mifi District Hospital (MDH) from October 15th to December 15th 2023.Our sampling was consecutive and exhaustive including women in post-partum wards. We conducted face-to-face interviews using a pretested questionnaire and completed data using medical records. We performed chi square test of independence and, binary and multiple logistic regressions to measure associations between variables using SPSS 26.0 software (IBM, New York, NY). A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results Five hundred and twelve women were included. The proportion of women who experienced OV during antenatal care (ANC) was 8.1% (40/492). Of those women, 16 (40.0%) continued their ANC in another health facility. The proportion of intrapartum OV was 54.7% (274/512). The most frequent forms of OV during this period were: perineal suture without anesthesia (43.6%), no greetings nor self-introduction by the personnel (38.2%), digital vaginal examination without consent (24.6%) and the non-preservation of intimacy (21.8%). Inability to pay for healthcare services was associated to both antenatal OV (aOR: 2.9(1.3 - 64), p: 0.01) and intrapartum OV (aOR: 19.6 (95 %(1.7-26.9), p: 0.01). Conclusion OV is quite common and varied in Bafoussam. Its drivers and impact should be investigated to inform effective mitigation strategies. Synopsis This study found that half of women suffer OV during childbirth and one in ten women during ANC. Poor women were disproportionately affected.