Limitations to institutional delivery among Ashaninka mothers of the Peruvian Amazon

Estudios originales

Published on 12 de junio de 2025 | http://doi.org/10.5867/medwave.2025.05.2993

Limitations to institutional delivery among Ashaninka mothers of the Peruvian Amazon

Cultural factors by birthplace (n = 152).

Factors		Home birth		Institutional birth
Factors		n	%	n	%
Reasons for giving birth at home
Privacy and reliability	Yes	95	62.5	57	37.5
Privacy and reliability	No	0	0.0	0	0.0
Family tradition	Yes	95	62.5	57	37.5
Family tradition	No	0	0.0	0	0.0
Family presence and support	Yes	92	96.8	3	3.2
Family presence and support	No	3	5.3	54	94.7
Sign of fidelity to husband	Yes	35	97.2	1	2.8
Sign of fidelity to husband	No	60	51.7	56	48.3
Financial constraints	Yes	89	96.7	3	3.3
Financial constraints	No	6	10.0	54	90.0
Reasons for preferring traditional birth attendants
They are accepted in the community	Yes	95	62.5	57	37.5
They are accepted in the community	No	0	0.0	0	0.0
They have experience and are capable of handling childbirth	Yes	95	77.2	28	22.8
They have experience and are capable of handling childbirth	No	0	0.0	0	100.0
They educate the mother	Yes	95	62.5	57	37.5
They educate the mother	No	0	0.0	0	0.0
They speak the Ashaninka language	Yes	95	62.5	57	37.5
They speak the Ashaninka language	No	0	0.0	0	0.0
They are available to care for the mother	Yes	95	62.5	57	37.5
They are available to care for the mother	No	0	0.0	0	0.0
Practices during home birth
Burial of the placenta	Yes	95	66.4	48	33.6
Burial of the placenta	No	0	0.0	0	100.0
Family gathering to pray	Yes	41	97.6	1	2.4
Family gathering to pray	No	54	49.1	56	50.9
Use of cotton on the newborn’s forehead	Yes	0	0.0	0	0.0
Use of cotton on the newborn’s forehead	No	95	62.5	57	37.5
Participation of a woman who steams	Yes	95	68.8	43	31.2
Participation of a woman who steams	No	0	0.0	14	100.0
Traditional dance	Yes	48	98.0	1	2.0
Traditional dance	No	47	45.6	56	54.4
Vertical birth wearing a cushma garment	Yes	95	62.5	57	37.5
Vertical birth wearing a cushma garment	No	0	0.0	0	0.0
Consumption of local herbs called “piri piri”	Yes	95	62.5	57	37.5
Consumption of local herbs called “piri piri”	No	0	0.0	0	0.0
Beliefs about institutional childbirth
The facilities are inconvenient for cultural traditions	Yes	95	62.5	57	37.5
The facilities are inconvenient for cultural traditions	No	0	0.0	0	0.0
Children born in hospitals are weaker	Yes	16	94.1	1	5.9
Children born in hospitals are weaker	No	79	58.5	56	41.5
Hospital childbirth is more painful	Yes	27	96.4	1	3.6
Hospital childbirth is more painful	No	68	54.8	56	45.2
All deliveries are by C-section	Yes	56	98.2	1	1.8
All deliveries are by C-section	No	39	41.1	56	58.9
Partners are not allowed to accompany the mother during delivery	Yes	0	0.0	0	0.0
	No	95	62.5	57	37.5

Source, Prepared by the authors based on study data.

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