Maternal Health Care Programs Research Articles

Differentials in reproductive and child health status in India

Background: Inequalities in reproductive and child health (RCH) exist, in general, in different regions of India. The present study aims to investigate the current status of RCH and examine the factors responsible for it in different parts of India. Methods: This study utilized data obtained from two Indian studies – (i) National Family Health Survey – 3 (NFHS- 2005-06) and (ii) District Level Household Survey (DLHS – 2002-04). Reproductive Health Index was computed on the basis of five variables such as total fertility rate, infant mortality rate, birth order, delivery care and female educational attainment. Results: In terms of reproductive and child health, a wide range of variation exists in India in its different regions. The study reveals that among Indian states, 13 states have an index value less than the national average. On the basis of the reproductive health index, the Indian states can be divided into three categories, namely; progressive states, semi progressive states and backward states. Conclusions: The interstate differences in healthcare utilization are partly due to variations in the implementation of maternal health care programs as well as differences in availability of and accessibility to healthcare between Indian states.

Antepartum Depression and Its Clinico-Social Correlates: A Cross Sectional Study in a Tertiary Hospital of North India.

Maternal depression, the second leading cause of disease burden in women worldwide is often under-diagnosed and untreated. It can have consequences for pregnancy outcomes and child health. (1) To estimate the prevalence of antepartum depression among females attending antenatal clinic of a tertiary hospital. (2) To determine its obstetric and clinico-social correlates. A cross-sectional study was conducted in antenatal clinic by consecutive sampling of 300 pregnant women. We included those in third trimester, aged 18-40years and giving informed consent and excluded those with pre-diagnosed mental disorders. Pre-tested structured questionnaire and Edinburgh postnatal depression scale used. Score ≥ 10 indicated possible antepartum depression (APD). Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis applied using IBM SPSS version 22.0. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Prevalence of possible APD was 23.3%. It was higher among urban females (25.3%) than rural (17.7%) but the difference was not statistically significant. APD increased with increasing maternal age. Other socio-demographic and obstetric factors were not associated significantly with APD. History of recent stressful life event, domestic violence, marital conflict, lack of support from husband, and preference of male child were found to be the significant correlates. More than one out of five antenatal females had possible antepartum depression, but none had sought treatment for the same. Antenatal women of higher age and those afflicted with social pathologies are more at risk. Screening for APD should be included in the maternal and child health care programme to address this hidden 'iceberg' disease.

Child health screening program in French nursery schools: Results and related socioeconomic factors.

The study aims to describe the output of routine health screening performed in French nursery schools by the maternal and child health services among children aged 3-4 years and to quantify the level of early socioeconomic health disparities. In 30 participating départements, data on screening for vision and hearing impairments, overweight and thinness, dental health, language, psychomotor development, and immunizations were collected for children born on specific dates in 2011 and enrolled in nursery school in 2014-2016. Information was collected on the children, their socioeconomic characteristics and on the school attended. Odds of abnormal screening results were compared for each socioeconomic factor by logistic regressions adjusted for age, sex, prematurity and bilingualism. Among the 9,939 children screened, prevalence of disorders was 12.3% for vision, 10.9% for hearing, 10.4% for overweight, 7.3% for untreated caries, 14.2% for language and 6.6% for psychomotricity. Newly detected visual disorders were more frequent in disadvantaged areas. Children with unemployed parents were three time more likely to have untreated caries and twice as likely to present language or psychomotor impairments; 52% were referred to a health professional following screening compared to 39% of children with employed parents. Except for children in disadvantaged areas, vaccine coverage was lower among disadvantaged groups. The prevalences of impairments, which are higher among disadvantaged children, highlight the potential preventive impact of systematic screening under the comprehensive maternal and child healthcare program. These results are important to quantify early socioeconomic inequalities in a Western country known for its generous social welfare system. A more holistic approach to child health is needed with a coherent system involving families and aligning primary care, local child health professionals, general practitioners, and specialists. Further results are needed to evaluate its impact on later child development and health.

Pregnancy outcomes among Indian women: increased prevalence of miscarriage and stillbirth during 2015–2021

BackgroundPregnancy outcome is an important health indicator of the quality of maternal health. Adverse pregnancy outcomes is a major public health problem, which can lead to poor maternal and neonatal outcomes. This study investigates the trends in pregnancy outcomes prevalent during 2015–2021 in Indian women.MethodsThe study analysed the data presented in the fourth (2015-16) and fifth (2019-21) rounds of National Family Health Survey (NFHS). The absolute and relative changes in the birth outcomes of last pregnancy during the five years preceding the surveys were estimated using data collected from 195,470 women in NFHS-4 and from 255,549 women in NFHS-5.ResultsLivebirth decreased by 1.3 points (90.2% vs. 88.9%), and nearly half of the Indian states/UTs (n = 17/36) had lower than the national average of livebirth (88.9%) reported during 2019-21. A higher proportion of pregnancy loss was noted, particularly miscarriages increased in both urban (6.4% vs. 8.5%) and rural areas (5.3% vs. 6.9%), and stillbirth increased by 28.6% (0.7% vs. 0.9%). The number of abortions decreased (3.4% vs. 2.9%) among Indian women. Nearly half of the abortions were due to unplanned pregnancies (47.6%) and more than one-fourth (26.9%) of abortions were performed by self. Abortions among adolescent women in Telangana was eleven times higher during 2019-21 as compared to 2015-16 (8.0% vs. 0.7%).ConclusionOur study presents evidence of a decrease in the livebirth and an increase in the frequency of miscarriage and stillbirth among Indian women during 2015–2021. This study emphasises that there is a need of regional-specific, comprehensive and quality maternal healthcare programs for improving livebirth among Indian women.

A Study of Etiological Spectrum of Maternal Near-miss Cases and Quality Care Indicators in Western Region of India

Background: Maternal death review has remained the fundamental quality care indicator for any maternal health-care governance program. Maternal near-miss (MNM) cases which are the forerunner of mortality cases could serve as a proxy indicator to evaluate the obstetric quality care. Objectives: To calculate MNM to mortality ratio of the institute and to study the etiological spectrum of MNM cases. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based prospective observational study was carried out. Cases were taken as defined based on the WHO MNM criteria. Data collection was done through information retrieval from case records and by in-depth interviews with the help of semi-structured questionnaire of MNM cases from 2 days after their admission up till discharge. Each case was documented with respect to the demographic details, adverse events and aetiology. Results: The MNM to mortality ratio was 1.16:1, MNM incidence ratio in our study was 4.12 and the mortality index was 46.23. Seventy-six per cent of cases were referred cases. The main causes for near-miss were post-partum haemorrhage (30%) followed by pre-eclampsia (26%). Hypertension was the most significant comorbidity in 28% of cases, while 26% had cardiac disease and 26% had severe anaemia. Conclusions: Studying near-miss mortality cases provides a valuable insight of the quality of care of the institute. MNM case review should be a part of regular governance process of the maternity care unit to plan and implement focused care.

Mothers’ Perspectives on Utilization of Maternal Health Services in Rural Health Units in Luzon: A Qualitative Study

Introduction. Despite implementing various maternal health care programs and integrating these into Service Delivery Networks, the Philippines continues to have high maternal mortality. Identifying factors that impede the utilization of available maternal care services may help reduce maternal morbidity and mortality and bridge the gap between the need and actual use of such services among mothers in the community.Objectives. This study identified barriers, hindrances, and other factors influencing mothers in availing maternal health services in Luzon, the largest island in the country and the area that accounted for more than half of total maternal mortality.Methods. Eight focus group discussions participated in by a total of 78 pregnant women and mothers were conducted across all of the eight regions of Luzon. In each session, the participants were asked to answer questions based on a semi-structured interview guide. The interviews were recorded, translated and back-translated, transcribed, and compiled before analysis by the deductive-dominant approach using NVivo12.Results. Factors affecting maternal health service utilization center on the capacity of health facilities to provideservices like evaluation of the progress of pregnancy, laboratory examinations, free medicines, and immunizations; and on region-bound individual factors. The availability of skilled health personnel and lack of financial resources were the most common subthemes.Conclusion. This study identified some key factors that deter patients from availing of existing maternal healthservices in Luzon. Eliminating these barriers will not only help strengthen local health infrastructure and improve service delivery but also promote the utilization of such services, leading to better maternal outcomes.

Effect of Socioeconomic Factors on the Choice of Health care Institutions for Delivery Care

During the past two decades, Pakistan witnessed a significant progress in maternal health outcomes. However, there exist persistent urban-rural and socio-economic inequalities in access and utilization of maternal healthcare services across the country. The overall objective of this research was to identify the significant socio-economic factors determining the choice of healthcare institutions for delivery care. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Rajan Pur, a predominantly rural district in Punjab province. Using a multi-stage random sampling technique, 368 mothers who had childbirths from 1st October to 31st December 2020 in different healthcare institutions were interviewed. Data for the study was collected through a validated study instrument used by earlier studies on maternal healthcare utilization. The results of logistic regression analysis showed that use of public healthcare facilities for delivery care increases with increasing maternal education, monthly household income, and distance to healthcare facilities. The findings and recommendations drawn from the research would provide some insights to health policymakers and planners in developing an integrated and viable maternal healthcare program in Pakistan.

Out-of-Pocket Expenditure on Delivery Care in Public and Private Health Sectors – A Study in a Rural District of Pakistan

Pakistan witnessed a significant improvement in maternal health outcomes during the past two decades. However, persistent urban-rural and socio-economic inequalities exist in access to maternal healthcare services across the country. The objective of this study was to estimate out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) on delivery care by women in the public and private health sectors in RajanPur district. This was a cross-sectional study conducted, among 368 randomly selected mothers who had childbirths from 1st October to 31st December 2020. The study applied multi-stage random sampling technique to select the study participants. The results showed that about two-thirds of mothers preferred public hospitals for most recent delivery. The percentage of cesarean deliveries conducted in private hospitals (43.8%) was 4.7 times higher than in public hospitals (9.3%). About 99% of mothers incurred OOPE during delivery care, and the mean OOPE incurred during delivery care was PKR 2840 (US$ 17.75) in public hospitals and PKR 25596 (US$159.9) in private hospitals. OOPE on cesarean delivery in private hospitals (PKR 39654.7, US$247.8) was 2.5 times higher than the public hospitals (PKR16111.9, US$100.69), whereas OOPE incurred on normal delivery care in private hospitals (PKR14339, US$89.62) was 9.5 times higher than OOPE in public hospitals(PKR 1501.4, US$9.38).To conclude, the findings and recommendations drawn from the research would provide some insights to health policymakers and planners in developing an integrated and viable maternal healthcare program in Pakistan.

The Status, Policies, and Programs of Preconception Risk Assessment in Iran: A Narrative Review

Introduction: Preconception care is defined as a set of interventions that aim to identify and modify biomedical, behavioral, and social risks to a woman’s health or pregnancy outcome through risk assessment, health promotion, and medical and psychosocial interventions. This study aimed to review the status, policies, and programs of preconception risk assessment in Iran.Methods: We searched scientific databases including Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, Magiran, Iran Medex, SID, Iran Doc, Science Direct, and Google Scholar using key words such as "preconception care", "pre-pregnancy care", "instruction", "guideline", "risk assessment", "program", "policy", "Iran" and their combinations. No time limit was considered in searching the databases and all studies were published until February 1, 2020. Our search strategy resulted in the retrieval of 66 articles and guidelines, of which nine articles met the inclusion criteria and entered the study. Results: Multiple guidelines have been designed to assess the general health of women and men of childbearing age, with pay little attention to the reproductive health assessment in Iran. Assessment of reproductive health is specific to the integrated maternal health care program, which the reproductive health risk assessment from pre-pregnancy to postpartum period. The preconception care is a component of integrated maternal health care program that is faced in its content and faces challenges in implementation. Conclusion: Several strategies have been developed in the field of risk assessment for general health in Iran, but risk assessment in pre-pregnancy period is only exclusive to preconception care program that is moderate in performance.

Knowledge of pregnancy complications and utilization of antenatal care services in Rwanda.

While Rwanda's progress towards achieving the maternal health care targets of the Sustainable Development Goals is impressive, evidence of women's limited utilization of antenatal care (ANC) services in the context of an improved health care system provides an opportunity for exploring other essential but less highlighted factors that may shape ANC service utilization. In this study, we examined the association between women's knowledge of pregnancy complications and the utilization of maternal health services. We employed logistic regression analysis using the 2015 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey data. Our analytical sample consisted of women (n=5883) in their reproductive ages (15-49years). Three maternal health care indicators, namely, timing of first ANC visit, number of ANC visits, and place of delivery, were explored. We controlled for the effects of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, including marital status, place of residence and age. The results show that women with no knowledge of pregnancy complications were less likely to utilize ANC services within the first trimester (odds ratio [OR]=0.76, p<0.01), achieve the WHO recommended minimum of eight visits (OR=0.66, p<0.01), and deliver at a health facility (OR=0.77, p<0.10). Given these findings, we recommend restructuring existing maternal health care programs to include rigorous maternal health education.

Postpartum depression and its clinico-social correlates - A community-based study in aligarh.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is onset of depressive symptoms in postpartum period from 2 weeks to 1 year. It causes maternal morbidity and long-term negative effects on growth and development of infant and child. It is often unreported and underdiagnosed. (1) To estimate the prevalence of PPD, (2) To determine socio-demographic, clinical, and obstetric correlates of the same. A cross-sectional study was done in urban and rural areas of District Aligarh. A total of 304 females between 6 weeks and 6 months' postpartum period giving consent were included in this study. Sociodemographic, obstetric, and clinico-social factors were recorded using predesigned, pretested questionnaire. Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score ≥10 was used to screen for PPD and International Classification of Disease (ICD-10) criteria for confirmation. Correlates of PPD were determined using logistic regression analysis. The prevalence of PPD was 9.5% using EPDS and was confirmed by ICD-10 criteria. History of abortion (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 6.0, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 2.2-16.5), poor relationship with in-laws (AOR: 5.1; 95% CI 1.3-20.5), marital conflict (AOR: 13.3; 95% CI 2.2-77.6), and substance abuse in husband (AOR: 3.1; 95% CI 1.1-9.0) were found to be significant correlates for PPD. About one in every 10 postpartum females suffered from depression but did not seek health care for the same. Women facing social pathologies such as substance abuse in husband, marital conflict, and poor relationship with in-laws are more at risk of PPD. Screening for PPD should be included in the maternal and child health care programs to ensure early diagnosis and treatment.

The sensitivity and specificity of fetal emergency detection devices

The prevalence of infant mortality rate in the world is still high, especially in Indonesia. One of the contributing factors to the high infant mortality rate is the delay in the early detection of fetal emergencies. Medical devices used in the health service at this time, can not be reached by all pregnant women independently. The fetal emergency early detection device is designed like a Doppler to listen to the fetal heart rate, but it is equipped with LED lights and alarms that will light up when the fetal heart rate indicates an emergency. This study will analyze the sensitivity, specificity, and acceptance rate of this fetal emergency detection device compared to Fetal Doppler as Gold Standard. This study is an experimental study, an experiment to determine the sensitivity and specificity of fetal emergency detection devices by comparing sensitivity and specificity with Fetal Doppler (Gold Standard) when used in pregnant women with &gt;12 weeks pregnancy age. The results of this study showed that this fetal emergency detection tool has a sensitivity of 92%, and specificity of 67%, 88.7% of pregnant women receive fetal emergency detection equipment to be used as an early detection tool for fetal emergency because it is comfortable, practical, safe and flexible. The results of this study are expected to be used by the Department of Health as an alternative tool in improving maternal and child health care programs in health facilities as an effort to support the decrease in infant mortality.

Prevalence and factors associated with fertility desire among HIV-positive women in Rwanda in the context of improved life expectancy

BackgroundThe knowledge of the key factors associated with fertility desire among people living with HIV/AIDS is crucial for the efficient planning of maternal and child health care programs. Fertility desire has generally increased among women of reproductive age in Rwanda. However, its level and determinants among women living with HIV/AIDS (WLHA) are currently not well known in the context of Rwanda. The present study aimed to fill in this knowledge gap.MethodsData were extracted from the 2015 Rwanda demographic and health survey (RDHS) for 243 HIV-positive women of reproductive age. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted in order to identify the most influential factors.ResultsThe prevalence of desire to have another child in HIV-positive women was found to be as high as 40.7%. Multivariable logistic regression analyses showed that the woman’s age of 35–49 years (AOR = 0.051, 95% CI: 0.013–0.204), woman’s parity of 3 children or above (AOR = 0.177, 95% CI: 0.037–0.837), being employed (AOR = 0.298, 95% CI: 0.113–0.782) and currently using contraceptives (AOR = 0.146; 95% CI: 0.057–0.375) were significantly associated with low odds of fertility desire among HIV- positive women in Rwanda. Women younger than 25 years, with no living child, or who were unemployed or who were not using any contraceptive were significantly associated with greater odds of desire to have another child than did other HIV- positive women. A woman whose partner's desire for children is different from hers was associated with about four times higher odds (AOR = 3.752; 95% CI: 1.203–11.702) of desire for more children than women who desire the same as their partners.ConclusionFertility desire in WLHA is currently high in Rwanda. It is significantly influenced by demographic and socioeconomic factors. The Rwanda’s health care system should be prepared to intensify the required services for the prevention of the vertical transmission of HIV, the delivery of maternal and child health care services, and the support to WLHA in planning their fertility. Interventions should target low-parity young women, with a particular focus on meeting their contraceptive needs.

Determinants of utilization of antenatal and delivery care at the community level in rural Bangladesh.

Timely utilization of antenatal care and delivery services supports the health of mothers and babies. Few studies exist on the utilization and determinants of timely ANC and use of different types of health facilities at the community level in Bangladesh. This study aims to assess the utilization, timeliness of, and socio-demographic determinants of antenatal and delivery care services in two sub-districts in Bangladesh. This cross-sectional study used data collected through a structured questionnaire in the eRegMat cluster-randomized controlled trial, which enrolled pregnant women between October 2018-June 2020. We undertook univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis to determine the associations of socio-demographic variables with timely first ANC, four timely ANC visits, and facility delivery. We considered the associations in the multivariate logistic regression as statistically significant if the p-value was found to be <0.05. Results are presented as adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Data were available on 3293 pregnant women. Attendance at a timely first antenatal care visit was 59%. Uptake of four timely antenatal care visits was 4.2%. About three-fourths of the women delivered in a health facility. Women from all socio-economic groups gradually shifted from using public health facilities to private hospitals as the pregnancy advanced. Timely first antenatal care visit was associated with: women over 30 years of age (AOR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.05-2.19); nulliparity (AOR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.04-1.62); husbands with >10 years of education (AOR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.09-1.81) and being in the highest wealth quintile (AOR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.18-1.89). Facility deliveries were associated with woman's age; parity; education; the husband's education, and wealth index. None of the available socio-demographic factors were associated with four timely antenatal care visits. The study observed socio-demographic inequalities associated with increased utilization of timely first antenatal care visit and facility delivery. The pregnant women, irrespective of wealth shifted from public to private facilities for their antenatal care visits and delivery. To increase the health service utilization and promote good health, maternal health care programs should pay particular attention to young, multiparous women, of low socio-economic status, or with poorly educated husbands. ISRCTN69491836; https://www.isrctn.com/. Registered on December 06, 2018. Retrospectively registered.

HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS’ VIEWS CONCERNING KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES OF TRADITIONAL BIRTH ATTENDANTS IN TAJIKISTAN: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Introduction: This study seeks to explore health care providers’ perspectives of the traditional birth attendants’ knowledge and practices. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in 2018 with 16 health care professionals working at various levels of maternal health care system in two purposefully selected research settings, Khorog town and Dushanbe, which have different social, economic and ethnic backgrounds. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted to gather the data. Duration of interviews ranged from 30-60 min. NVivo software for qualitative research was used to analyse the results. Results: This study has shown that health care workers have extremely negative views of the knowledge and practices of traditional birth attendants. They highlight the lack of adequate knowledge of traditional birth attendants on biomedical aspects of birth, poor skills in infections control and lack of use of clean delivery practices. They also claim that the traditional birth attendants’ practices also lead to different complications while they are woefully unprepared to recognize obstetric complications during birth. Conclusion: The study recommends providing a skilled birth attendant in every area. It also recommends avoiding a homogeneous approach to address maternal health issues in diverse countries of the Global South and reviewing maternal health care policies and programs to provide the most marginalized groups of women with skilled birth services to improve their maternal health and further decrease maternal mortality in Tajikistan.

Effect of Preconception Care Intervention on Maternal Nutritional Status and Birth Outcome in a Low-Resource Setting: Proposal for a Nonrandomized Controlled Trial.

BackgroundThe provision of preconception care approaches such as maternal assessments and education on healthy lifestyle (including physical activity, nutrition, and dietary supplements such as folic acid), general and sexual health, avoidance of high-risk behavior, and immunizations has been shown to identify and reduce the risk of adverse birth outcomes through appropriate management and preventive measures.ObjectiveThe goal of the study is to determine the effect of an integrated preconception care intervention on delivery outcomes, which is a novel challenge for lowering unfavorable birth outcomes in India’s low-resource setting. The main objectives are to investigate the relationship of birth outcomes to both maternal and paternal preconception health and determine the effect of preconception care intervention on improvement of maternal nutritional status and reduction of the risk of adverse birth outcomes such as prematurity, low birth weight, and maternal and neonatal complications.MethodsA nonrandomized controlled trial design will be used for comparing 2 groups: preconception care with a standard maternal health care (MHC) program and an integrated MHC program (without preconception care). Two rural field areas of Khordha district, Odisha, will be selected for conducting the study. The study will enroll 782 married women between the ages of 18 and 35 years with their spouses, with 391 women in each group. The couples will receive preconception care based on their health circumstances, and they will be followed up at 3-month intervals before pregnancy. Following pregnancy, they will be followed up for 8 prenatal monitoring and care visits as well as 6 weeks after delivery as part of the standard MCH program. The preconception care intervention package includes couples counseling, contraceptive education and distribution, sex education, lifestyle modification, and nutritional supplementation of iron and folic acid, along with multivitamins if needed.ResultsThe proposal was approved by the institutional ethical committee for conducting the study in June 2020 (Ref No: T/EMF/Nursing/20/6). Participants were enrolled in phase 1 in April 2021, phase 2 of offering preconception services will begin in August 2021, and study outcomes will be measured from 2023 to 2024.ConclusionsThrough preconception care and counseling, the eligible couples will recognize, embrace, and implement the actions to improve their preconception health. Finally, it is expected that maternal and paternal health will have a significant impact on enhancing maternal nutritional status and birth outcomes.Trial RegistrationClinical Trials Registry–India CTRI/2021/04/032836; http://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/pmaindet2.php?trialid=48239&EncHid=&userName=CTRI/2021/04/032836International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/28148

Stakeholders perceptions regarding implementing maternal and newborn health care programs in Rwanda

BackgroundWhile maternal and newborn deaths has been decreasing since 2008 in Rwanda, there is room for improvement to meet its sustainable development goals. The maternal and newborn health care program needs to be monitored to ensure its effective implementation. This study therefore aimed to explore stakeholder’s perceptions of the Rwandan maternal and newborn health care program to identify areas for improvement.MethodsThe convergent, parallel, mixed method study used quantitative and qualitative data in a single phase. The quantitative data was obtained from 79 health care workers, ranging from maternal community health care workers to program supervisors. The 10 areas of the Project Implementation Profile (PIP) instrument checklist with a five-point Likert scale were used to indicate their perceptions (strongly disagree to strongly agree). The qualitative interviews of five nurse managers used a manifest inductive content analysis, directed approach that entailed using existing theory and prior research to develop the initial coding scheme before starting data analyse.ResultsThere was disagreement about the level of top management support, human resources was regarded as an area of concern, with 18.7% (n = 14/79) indicating that they did not agree that this was adequately provided for; urgent solutions for unexpected problems was regarded as an areas of concern by 46.8% (n = 36/79). Top management support weakness were inadequate support training, materials, money for home visits, supervision and leaderships, and training of newly recruited maternity health care workers. For human resources, there were insufficient trained staff to take care of mothers and newborns due to the shortages of health providers. The management of unexpected problems was also an area of concerns and related to getting patients to health facilities during pregnancy emergencies and the lack of qualified birth attendants at health facilities.ConclusionThe study identified three areas for improvement: top management support, human resources and urgent solutions for unexpected problems, as they may be affecting the provision of maternal and newborn health care program services. Using the PIP enable managers to improve the country’s maternal and newborn health care program, and to provide ongoing monitoring and evaluation of with respect to the desired outcomes of reducing maternal and neonatal mortality.

Incidence of Stillbirth in Relation to Period of Delivery, Socioeconomic Status and Period of Gestation in a Rural Tertiary Care Hospital-MGIMS, Sewagram Within Study Period of Three Years (2013-2016).

Stillbirth remains one of the most common adverse outcomes of pregnancy, yet is among the least studied. Occurrence of stillbirth is a tragic event faced by mother as well as obstetrician. It has implications on couple, their family and the health care providers. It reflects a failure or lapse in implementation of maternal and child health care programs. Worldwide 3.2 million stillbirth occur in world, 20-66 per 1000 total births in India in different states. Stillbirth in India is largely underreported. Stillbirths contribute to more than half of perinatal death. More than 2/3rd Stillbirth take place during pregnancy and remaining during course of labour. Registration of all live births and stillbirths, together with evaluation of cause of stillbirths are important initial steps for developing countries. A standard classification system would be important to document aetiology of stillbirth in developing countries. All cases who delivered a stillborn baby in the hospital were studied in details. The records were maintained date-wise. Initially, the basic demographic information was taken giving special attention to age, education, occupation, socioeconomic status, rural or urban residence etc. The two controls of live births were also asked the same details and the data were entered in Microsoft word excel sheet and analyzed by Chi-square test. Incidence of stillbirth in MGIMS Sewagram which is Tertiary care centre placed in rural area was 30.57%. Incidence in relation to place (rural) 62.42%, more in antepartum 94.9% (149/157), in low socioeconomic status 48%. It was found more in 30-32 weeks of period of gestation as in this period most of medical disorders of pregnancy precipitate. The online version of this article (10.1007/s13224-021-01453-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Coverage of completion of four ANC visits based on recommended time schedule in Northern Ethiopia: A community-based cross-sectional study design.

Despite decades of implementation of maternal health care programs, the uptake of antenatal care services based on the recommended gestational age continues to be below the national and regional targets. Thus, this study aimed to assess the prevalence and factors related to the completion of four antenatal care visits among mothers who gave birth 6 months preceding the study. We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The quantitative component included administering a pre-tested structured questionnaire to 466 mothers who gave birth 6 months preceding the study using a simple random sampling technique from respective Tabias. The quantitative result was analyzed using SPSS version 22. Bivariate and multivariate analysis was done to determine the association between independent and dependent variables. Variables were declared as statistically significant at P ≤ 0.05 in multivariable logistic regression model. The qualitative interview data were collected from eight mothers and four key informants recruited through purposive sampling method. The overall prevalence of completion of four ANC visits based on the recommended time schedule was 9.9% (95% CI, 7.1-12.4). However, 63.9% of the participants attended four visits or more regardless of the recommended time schedule. Being member of community health insurance (AOR 2.140, 95% CI, 1.032-4.436), walking on foot less than or equal one hour to reach the health facility (AOR 3.921, 95% CI, 1.915-8.031), having workload at home (AOR 0.369, 95% CI, 0.182-0.751), and husband supported during antenatal care (AOR 2.561, 95% CI, 1.252-5.240) were independently associated with the completion of four ANC visits based on the recommended time schedule in multivariable analysis. The completion of four ANC contacts based on the recommended time schedule remains low in rural areas of Northern Ethiopia. Being a member of community health insurance, distance to the health facility, workload, and male involvement were associated with the completion of four ANC visits based on the recommended time schedule. The existing health system should consider improving the recommended ANC visits by integrating Community based interventions.

Geographical variations in postnatal care use and associated factors in India: evidence from a cross-sectional national survey

Postnatal care (PNC) period is a critical phase for survival of mothers and newborn babies. Understanding spatial heterogeneity is essential for evidence-based policymaking in high-risk geographical areas. Moreover, there is a paucity of research on the utilization of PNC and its geographical inequalities in India. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the geographical variations in PNC use and associated socio-demographic factors among Indian women. A cross-sectional study was conducted using the 2015–2016 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) data. A total of 190,898 women aged 15–49 years who had a live birth in the past five years preceding the survey were utilized in this study. This study assessed the levels of PNC use across geographical regions, states, and districts. Moran’s ‘I’ and spatial autocorrelation were carried out to identify the spatial patterns of PNC use. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were employed to examine the factors associated with PNC utilization. In India, the proportion of PNC usage was 69.1% with marked variations across geographical regions. Lower use of PNC was found in the north, central, east, and northeast regions, while PNC utilization was higher in south, followed by west region of the country. This study found that educational attainment of women and household wealth status was positively correlated with PNC utilization. Women with higher education were more likely to receive PNC (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.57, 95% CI 1.49–1.65) compared to uneducated women. The odds of PNC use were 2.57 times higher (AOR: 2.57, 95% CI 2.44–2.70) among the women from the richest wealth quintile than those from the poorest wealth quintile. Furthermore, social groups, religion, women’s age, age at marriage, birth order, child wantedness, and geographical region had a significant association with PNC healthcare-seeking. The findings of this study indicate evidence-based maternal healthcare programs to mitigate the identified geographical inequalities in PNC usage. Furthermore, this study suggests state- and region-specific healthcare interventions and strengthening of existing policies to improve the utilization of PNC in India.