1 Department of Public Health, Assin Fosu Municipal Health Directorate, Ghana.
2 Department of Public Health, Akramaman Health Centre, Ga West Municipal Health Directorate, Amasaman, Accra, Ghana.
3 Department of Population and Reproductive Health, Mana Mission Hospital, Accra, Ghana.
4 Department of Public Health, School of Public Health, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
5 Department of Population and Reproductive Health, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
6 Department of Public Health, Community Health Nursing Training College, Akim Oda, Ghana.
7 Department of Public Health, Disease Control Unit, Ghana Health Service, Ada West District, Sege, Ghana.
8 Department of Public Health, Federal University of Health Sciences, Azare, Bauchi State, Nigeria.
9 Department of Public Health, Abuakwa South Municipal Health Directorate, Ghana.
10 Department of Public Health, Ghana Health Service, Kpandai District Health Directorate, Kpandai, Ghana.
11 Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (Ghana FELTP), Department of Epidemiology and Disease Control, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
12 School of Public Health, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
* Corresponding Author
ORCID Details
Benjamin Kwasi Amoako: https://orcid.org/ 0009-0001-0955-3678
Michael Oppong Yeboah: https://orcid.org/ 0009-0007-0992-9595
Samira Mastura Sulleman: https://orcid.org/ 0009-0000-2736-9308
Jerdu Bin-eranaa Nuhu: https://orcid.org/ 0009-0009-3156-4793
John Kwame Agbenyeavu: https://orcid.org/ 0009-0007-3643-1311
Rebecca Tricia Morrison: https://orcid.org/ 0009-0008-4071-5314
Boaz Ahulu: https://orcid.org/ 0009-0006-8116-0496
Oscar Vetsi: https://orcid.org/ 0000-0002-8456-1184
Abubakar Alhassan: https://orcid.org/ 0009-0004-1240-8836
Porbilla Ewura Ofosu-Apea: https://orcid.org/ 0009-0008-8259-8048
Richard Kwaku Essien: https://orcid.org/ 0009-0005-5932-0193
Eric Addo Owusu: https://orcid.org/ 0009-0002-2631-3542
Donne Kofi Ameme:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1017-7155
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2026, 32(01), 1307–1317
Article DOI: 10.30574/wjarr.2026.32.1.2665
Received on 10 September 2026; revised on 17 October 2026; accepted on 19 October 2026
Traditional birth attendants (TBAs) continue to attend births in Ghana despite policies promoting skilled attendance, yet little is known about how intensively women who use TBAs rely on them during pregnancy. This study determined the level and pattern of TBA service utilization among postpartum women who had used TBA services in the Assin Fosu Municipality, Central Region, Ghana. We conducted a community-based analytical cross-sectional survey from July to September 2026 among 250 women who had delivered with a TBA within the preceding 24 months, selected through stratified multistage sampling across all 74 communities. We collected data using a pretested, interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed them descriptively with Wilson 95% confidence intervals (CI). Overall, 202 women (80.8%; 95% CI 75.5–85.2) made one or more monthly visits to a TBA during their most recent pregnancy (mean 2.26 visits; SD 1.59), and 60.9% of these made three or more. First contact occurred in the first trimester for 70.0%. TBAs were conducted in 93.9% of all births reported; 87.2% of women had delivered every child with a TBA, and every woman with two or more TBA deliveries attended monthly. Delivery assistance (90.8%), herbal medicine (73.2%), and antenatal care (58.8%) were the principal services; 87.2% of women were satisfied, and 54.0% preferred home for their next delivery. Proximity (75.2%) and lower cost (43.2%) were the leading reasons for choosing a TBA. TBA care in this municipality functions as a continuous parallel maternity service, warranting engagement of TBAs as referral agents and targeted follow-up of repeat users.
Traditional Birth Attendants; Skilled Birth Attendance; Antenatal Care; Health Service Utilization; Postpartum Women; Ghana
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Benjamin Kwasi Amoako, Michael Oppong Yeboah, Samira Mastura Sulleman, Jerdu Bin-eranaa Nuhu, John Kwame Agbenyeavu, Rebecca Tricia Morrison, Boaz Ahulu, Oscar Vetsi, Abubakar Alhassan, Porbilla Ewura Ofosu-Apea, Richard Kwaku Essien, Eric Addo Owusu, Dadia Stephen, Donne Kofi Ameme, Best Ordinioha. LEVEL AND PATTERN OF TRADITIONAL BIRTH ATTENDANT SERVICE UTILIZATION AMONG POSTPARTUM WOMEN IN THE ASSIN FOSU MUNICIPALITY, GHANA: AN ANALYTICAL CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2026, 32(01), 1307–1317. Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2026.32.1.2665