Abstract

*Abubakar Kunle, Akanbi Lawal and Salihu Rashidi

This study determines the knowledge and utilization of post natal care services in Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, Nigeria. Two objectives were set, the corresponding research questions were answered and a hypothesis was tested in this study. This study adopted descriptive research design using researcher’s developed questionnaire as instrument for data collection. A split-half test of reliability was used to determine the reliability of the instrument. Four hundred and eighty women were purposively sampled for the study. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics of frequency count and mean percentages to answer research questions. The inferential statistics of Chi-square was used to test null hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. The findings show that women of childbearing age knowledge about postnatal care services was very high, but women showed poor willingness to utilization of post natal care services in Edu Local Government Area. This study recommended that Edu LGA health unit, Kwara State and Federal ministries of health and Non-governmental Organizations should strengthen the health education intervention programmes on the promotion of post natal visits and to improve the maternal health awareness on the significant of post natal care services utilization in the existing primary health care centres.