| dc.description.abstract | I have carefully studied the results of a study recently published in this journal on
the contribution of cultural factors to maternal mortality rate in the rural villages of
Limpopo Province South Africa. The results of this study indicated that cultural
factors that contributed to maternal mortality. They were perceived cultural factors,
which included culture and knowledge to seek care, perceived beliefs, decisionmaking process, and culture expectations regarding bleeding, hypertension and
HIV-AIDS.1 The critical points explored in this study are limited to “cultural
practices that are practiced for women during the childbirth period in Limpopo”.
Cultural practices focus more on value and meaning in the context of a way of
life. Meanwhile, the cultural implications in society also have an analytical aspect
of the reception that is individually constructed. Culture is one of the fundamental
factors causing the high maternal mortality rate. Considering that the nature of
culture is deeply rooted and influences a person’s behavior, so in exploring
cultural factors that contribute to maternal mortality, it must be thorough, by
looking for potential values from cultural aspects, which allow it to be followed
up with appropriate interventions while still utilizing existing cultural values in
society.2
Referring to relevant references, there are many cultural perspectives that need
to be considered as the basis for determining actions such as ethnomedicine,
medical ecology, self-concept, the meaning of women’s empowerment in
a community perspective, and indigenous knowledge. All of which underlie how
a woman and the support system make decisions and act on her health problems.3
Thus, to provide further information of value to the public regarding the
problem of maternal mortality, researchers should conduct further studies to explore
cultural factors in a broad sense. This is very important because solving the health
problems of a society is necessary by adopting a culture and modifying the culture
with health care services. Officers need to have cultural competence as well as
cultural communication so that the health problems of a community can be handled
appropriately | en_US |
