My name is Ummi-Rahmat Abubakar. I obtained my MSc in Public Health in Bangladesh and a BSc in Biological Science in Nigeria. Before embarking on my PhD journey, I worked with a non-governmental organization in Nigeria as a project coordinator in which we coordinated humanitarian interventions in internally displaced persons camps. These includes; immunization support, planning and execution of vocational training and also provision of moral and mental support to persons with special needs.
My area of interest, for my research, is: Assessing the prevalence of domestic abuse among pregnant and postpartum women and exploring the preventive and management interventions in health facilities in Kenya and Tanzania.
Domestic abuse (DA) during pregnancy and the postpartum period is a distressing issue with far-reaching consequences for both maternal well-being and infant health. Violence against women is considered one of the main violations of human rights and a public health problem. While pregnant and post-partum women across all income settings experience mental disorders, those living in low- and lower-middle-income countries (LMIC) have at least a 50% higher likelihood of developing these disorders thus, efforts to address maternal and newborn health should include issues of violence against women.
Therefore, my study focuses on assessing the prevalence of domestic abuse among pregnant and postpartum, exploring the barriers and facilitators to implementing domestic abuse screening during ANC/PNC and understanding the perception of women to implementation of domestic abuse screening during ANC/PNC in Kenya and Tanzania. I anticipate that the outcome of this study will improve the quality of knowledge and the confidence of the healthcare providers in delivering quality ANC/PNC services within the various healthcare facilities. Lessons from this implementation will inform relevant policy and regulation changes for healthcare worker education, continuous professional development and maternal health quality improvement programmes in various countries.