SOCIAL FACTORS AFFECTING KNOWLEDGE OF RHESUS INCOMPATIBILITY AMONG WOMEN OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE IN SOUTH-EAST NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined the social factors affecting knowledge of rhesus incompatibility among women of reproductive age in South-east Nigeria. With the rising cases of Rhesus incompatibility among women of reproductive age in South-east Nigeria, it became imperative to examine the causative factors responsible for the trend. The symbolic interactionist theory was adopted to as the theoretical framework for this study. The study was purely qualitative involving six women of reproductive age resident in the Southeast Nigeria. The respondents were selected based on their knowledge and experience with Rhesus incompatibility related problems. The In-depth Interview Guide (IDI) was used as the instrument for data collection. The data was cleaned and processed using Nvivo, a tool for qualitative data processing in the social sciences. Analysis was presented in line with the study objectives and themes that were generated in the study. It was found that there is an increased knowledge of Rhesus incompatibility among women of reproductive age in South-east Nigeria. Several factors like education, place of residence, religion and ignorance were identified as the social factors responsible for poor knowledge and action towards Rhesus incompatibility in the study area. The study recommends that efforts should be made to improve the level of knowledge and awareness of Rhesus incompatibility. Also, there should be increased access to education especially for women, to improve their knowledge about the issue of Rhesus incompatibility.