Culture, Traditions and Maternal Health: A Community Approach Towards Improved Maternal Health in the Northern Uganda Districts of Gulu, Moroto and Kotido

A qualitative study exploring the determinants of maternal health service uptake in post-conflict Burundi and Northern Uganda

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth ◽

10.1186/s12884-015-0449-8 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Primus Che Chi ◽

Patience Bulage ◽

Henrik Urdal ◽

Johanne Sundby

Keyword(s):

Maternal Health ◽

Health Service ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Maternal Health Service ◽

Northern Uganda ◽

Post Conflict

Download Full-text

Maternal Health Care Among Refugees and Host Communities in Northern Uganda: Access, Quality, and Discrimination

Frontiers in Global Women's Health ◽

10.3389/fgwh.2021.626002 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

Author(s):

Siri Aas Rustad ◽

Helga Malmin Binningsbø ◽

Haakon Gjerløw ◽

Francis Mwesigye ◽

Tony Odokonyero ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Maternal Health ◽

Health Services ◽

Antenatal Care ◽

Health Facility ◽

Maternal Health Services ◽

Maternal Health Care ◽

Host Community ◽

Northern Uganda

Introduction: Uganda is one of the largest refugee-hosting nations in the world, with the majority of the refugees having fled South Sudan. In the early 2000's the local government and refugee health systems were merged to create a more equal and integrated system for refugees and the host population. Our aim is to investigate whether mothers from the two groups experience the same access to and quality of maternal health services, and whether refugee- and host-community mothers perceive the maternal health services differently.Methods: In November–December 2019, we conducted a household survey of 1,004 Ugandan nationals and South Sudanese refugee mothers aged 15–49 in the West Nile region covering the districts of Arua, Yumbe, and Adjumani, and elicited information on access to maternal health care services, perceptions of the quality of services, and feelings of discrimination. The data was then analyzed using Ordinary Least Squares and logistic regression.Results: Our analyses do not reveal large differences between refugees and the host community in terms of access to and the quality of maternal health services. Results from bivariate models indicate that refugee mothers are 6% points less likely to receive antenatal care (p-value < 0.05) but are 8% points more likely to give birth at a health facility (p-value < 0.05). Refugee mothers are generally less satisfied with how they were treated during antenatal care (0.132 lower average value on a Likert scale, p-value < 0.01). Refugee mothers are also 4% points more likely to feel discriminated against during ANC compared to their counterparts in the host community (p-value < 0.05).Discussion: The way women feel treated at the health facility during maternal health care is an important aspect of quality care. While there seems to be equal access to resources between refugees and host community mothers in Northern Uganda in terms of access to and quality of care, there is still a discrepancy between the two groups in terms of how the women feel treated. Policymakers and practitioners in the health sector should pay attention to these perceived inequalities between refugees and women from the host communities to ensure equally inclusive treatment across groups.

Download Full-text

Narrative Theatre as an Interactive Community Approach to Mobilizing Collective Action in Northern Uganda.

Families Systems & Health ◽

10.1037/1091-7527.22.3.306 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 22 (3) ◽

pp. 306-320 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Yvonne Sliep ◽

Kaethe Weingarten ◽

Andrew Gilbert

Keyword(s):

Collective Action ◽

Northern Uganda ◽

Community Approach

Download Full-text

The evolving role of traditional birth attendants in maternal health in post-conflict Africa: A qualitative study of Burundi and northern Uganda

SAGE Open Medicine ◽

10.1177/2050312117753631 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. 205031211775363 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Primus Che Chi ◽

Henrik Urdal

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Maternal Health ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Traditional Birth Attendants ◽

Northern Uganda ◽

Local Health ◽

Care Providers ◽

Birth Attendants ◽

Post Conflict

Objectives: Many conflict-affected countries are faced with an acute shortage of health care providers, including skilled birth attendants. As such, during conflicts traditional birth attendants have become the first point of call for many pregnant women, assisting them during pregnancy, labour and birth, and in the postpartum period. This study seeks to explore how the role of traditional birth attendants in maternal health, especially childbirth, has evolved in two post-conflict settings in sub-Saharan Africa (Burundi and northern Uganda) spanning the period of active warfare to the post-conflict era. Methods: A total of 63 individual semi-structured in-depth interviews and 8 focus group discussions were held with women of reproductive age, local health care providers and staff of non-governmental organisations working in the domain of maternal health who experienced the conflict, across urban, semi-urban and rural settings in Burundi and northern Uganda. Discussions focused on the role played by traditional birth attendants in maternal health, especially childbirth during the conflict and how the role has evolved in the post-conflict era. Transcripts from the interviews and focus group discussions were analysed by thematic analysis (framework approach). Results: Traditional birth attendants played a major role in childbirth-related activities in both Burundi and northern Uganda during the conflict, with some receiving training and delivery kits from the local health systems and non-governmental organisations to undertake deliveries. Following the end of the conflict, traditional birth attendants have been prohibited by the government from undertaking deliveries in both Burundi and northern Uganda. In Burundi, the traditional birth attendants have been integrated within the primary health care system, especially in rural areas, and re-assigned the role of ‘birth companions’. In this capacity they undertake maternal health promotion activities within their communities. In northern Uganda, on the other hand, traditional birth attendants have not been integrated within the local health system and still appear to undertake clandestine deliveries in some rural areas. Conclusion: The prominent role of traditional birth attendants in childbirth during the conflicts in Burundi and northern Uganda has been dwindling in the post-conflict era. Traditional birth attendants can still play an important role in facilitating facility and skilled attended births if appropriately integrated with the local health system.

Download Full-text