Antenatal and postnatal care practices among the dibongiya deori of assam

Care during pregnancy as well as after childbirth is important for the health and survival of both the mother and the newborn. The utilization of maternity care services is not uniform in society. Beliefs and practices associated with antenatal and postnatal care also show variation among the population groups as it depends on their perception level. The present study aims to understand the utilization of antenatal and postnatal care among the Dibongiya Deori population residing in the rural and urban areas of Assam. Few socio-demographic variables are also considered to compare with their healthcare practices during pregnancy and childbirth. The present cross-sectional study is conducted in the Lakhimpur district of Assam, India with a total of 504 Dibongiya mothers (rural: 405; urban: 99). The Dibongiya is a numerically small territorial group (Khel) of Deori of Assam. They belong to the Tibeto-Mongoloid ethnic group. The majority of Dibongiya mothers availed themselves medical treatment during pregnancy and immunized their children at diferent periods. The coverage is found to be more among the young aged mothers, having higher educational attainment, and engaged in salaried jobsin both the setup. Followers of traditional beliefs and practices associated with antenatal and postnatal periods are also observed among them. The impending necessity is to improve the basic health care facilities and provide proper maternal education for their betterment as well as to move forward.