Abstract
Maternal and child survival is a major public health problem in haor areas in Bangladesh. Fathers feel responsible as expressed by their capability “to save the future”. Using the Capability Framework for Child Growth, we aimed to identify what contextual factors underlie a father’s real opportunities to secure a safe delivery, including social norms and beliefs. Parents from households having children less than two years old were asked to participate in two rounds of qualitative research. In total, 25 focus group discussions and eight in-depth interviews were conducted. Late admission to health facilities emerged as the overarching disabling factor for fathers’ capability to save the lives of mothers and children. Poor communication about the mother’s health condition between spouses and fear for caesarean birth were underlying this late admission. In addition, inadequate advice by local doctors, underdeveloped infrastructure, and seasonal extremities contributed to late admission to health care facilities. The participants indicated that mother’s autonomy in haor to seek health care is a constraint. This capability analysis points towards relevant interventions. In addition to the need for an improved health infrastructure, programs to improve maternal and child survival in haor could focus on the gendered household responsibilities and poor communication between spouses.
Highlights
Despite commendable progress in maternal and children under-five survival over the last decades [1,2], mortality rates remain high
Fathers of haor describe their role in achieving a healthy delivery as the capability “to save the future”. Identified it as a key dimension of child growth [24]. We focus on this particular paternal capability “to save the future”, using the Capability Framework for Child Growth (CFCG) for its further analysis
69 fathers participated in focus group discussions (FGDs) (23 in the first round and 46 in the second round) and four participated in In-depth interviews (IDIs)
Summary
Despite commendable progress in maternal and children under-five survival over the last decades [1,2], mortality rates remain high. Inter-Agency Group for child mortality estimation, the under-five child mortality rate in Bangladesh was 30 per 1000 live births in 2018, a 66% decrease since 2004 [1,2]; but inequality across regions is persistent. Biomedical and socio-epidemiological frameworks, such as the analytical framework for child survival by Mosley and Chen [7] and the three-delay model by Thaddeus and Maine [8], have helped us elucidate the determinants of maternal and child mortality, a deeper understanding of the root causes is needed to further reduce the persistently high numbers in many countries, including Bangladesh.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
