scholarly journals Evaluation of a community-based intervention for health and economic empowerment of marginalized women in India

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shantanu Sharma ◽  
Devika Mehra ◽  
Faiyaz Akhtar ◽  
Sunil Mehra
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Maternal And Child Health ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Child Health Services ◽  
Access To Health Services ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
Marginalized Women ◽  
And Child Health

Abstract Background Empowered women have improved decision-making capacity and can demand equal access to health services. Community-based interventions (CBI) based on building women’s groups for awareness generation on maternal and child health (MCH) are the best and cost-effective approaches in improving their access to health services. The present endeavour evaluates a community-based intervention aimed at improving marginalized women’s awareness and utilization of maternal, and child health services, and access to livelihood and savings using the peer-led approach from two districts of India. Methods We used peer educators as mediators of knowledge transfer among women and for creating a supportive environment at the household and community levels. The intervention was implemented in two marginalized districts of Uttar Pradesh, namely Banda and Kaushambi. Two development blocks in each of the two districts were selected randomly, and twenty-four villages in each of the four blocks were selected based on the high percentage of a marginalized population. The evaluation of the intervention involved a non-experimental, pre- and post-research design, using a mixed-method approach. Data were collected at three points in time, including a rapid assessment (quantitative and qualitative interviews) at baseline, qualitative interviews at the end line and tracking data of the intervention population (n=37,324) through an online management information system. Results Most of the women in Banda (90%) and Kaushambi (85%) attended at least 60% of the education sessions. Around 39% of women in Banda and 35% of women in Kaushambi registered for the livelihood scheme, and 94% and 80% of them had worked in these two places, respectively under the scheme. Women during group discussions informed that their awareness about MCH increased post-intervention. The money earned after getting work under the livelihood scheme or from daily savings was deposited in the bank account by the women. These savings helped the women investing money at times of need, such as starting their work, in emergencies for the medical treatment of their family members, education of their children, etc. Conclusion Peer-led model of intervention can be explored to improve the combined health and economic outcomes of marginalized women.

scholarly journals Evaluation of a community-based intervention for health and economic empowerment of marginalized women in India

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shantanu Sharma ◽  
Devika Mehra ◽  
Faiyaz Akhtar ◽  
Sunil Mehra
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Uttar Pradesh ◽  
Access To Health Services ◽  
Community Based Interventions ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
Marginalized Women ◽  
Four Blocks

Abstract Background Empowered women have improved decision-making capacity and can demand equal access to health services. Community-based interventions based on building women’s groups for awareness generation on maternal and child health (MCH) are the best and cost-effective approaches in improving their access to health services. The present study evaluated a community-based intervention aimed at improving marginalized women’s awareness and utilization of MCH services, and access to livelihood and savings using the peer-led approach from two districts of India. Methods We used peer educators as mediators of knowledge transfer among women and for creating a supportive environment at the household and community levels. The intervention was implemented in two marginalized districts of Uttar Pradesh, namely Banda and Kaushambi. Two development blocks in each of the two districts were selected randomly, and 24 villages in each of the four blocks were selected based on the high percentage of a marginalized population. The evaluation of the intervention involved a non-experimental, ‘post-test analysis of the project group’ research design, in a mixed-method approach. Data were collected at two points in time, including qualitative interviews at the end line and tracking data of the intervention population (n = 37,324) through an online management information system. Results Most of the women in Banda (90%) and Kaushambi (85%) attended at least 60% of the education sessions. Around 39% of women in Banda and 35% of women in Kaushambi registered for the livelihood scheme, and 94 and 80% of them had worked under the scheme in these two places, respectively. Women’s awareness about MCH seemed to have increased post-intervention. The money earned after getting work under the livelihood scheme or from daily savings was deposited in the bank account by the women. These savings helped the women investing money at times of need, such as starting their work, in emergencies for the medical treatment of their family members, education of their children, etc. Conclusion Peer-led model of intervention can be explored to improve the combined health and economic outcomes of marginalized women.

scholarly journals Trust of community health workers influences the acceptance of community-based maternal and child health services

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Merridy Grant ◽  
Aurene Wilford ◽  
Lyn Haskins ◽  
Sifiso Phakathi ◽  
Ntokozo Mntambo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health System ◽  
Maternal And Child Health ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Child Health Services ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Complex Relationships ◽  
And Child Health

Background: Community health workers (CHWs) are a component of the health system in many countries, providing effective community-based services to mothers and infants. However, implementation of CHW programmes at scale has been challenging in many settings.Aim: To explore the acceptability of CHWs conducting household visits to mothers and infants during pregnancy and after delivery, from the perspective of community members, professional nurses and CHWs themselves.Setting: Primary health care clinics in five rural districts in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.Methods: A qualitative exploratory study was conducted where participants were purposively selected to participate in 19 focus group discussions based on their experience with CHWs or child rearing.Results: Poor confidentiality and trust emerged as key barriers to CHW acceptability in delivering maternal and child health services in the home. Most community members felt that CHWs could not be trusted because of their lack of professionalism and inability to maintain confidentiality. Familiarity and the complex relationships between household members and CHWs caused difficulties in developing and maintaining a relationship of trust, particularly in high HIV prevalence settings. Professional staff at the clinic were crucial in supporting the CHW’s role; if they appeared to question the CHW’s competency or trustworthiness, this seriously undermined CHW credibility in the eyes of the community.Conclusion: Understanding the complex contextual challenges faced by CHWs and community members can strengthen community-based interventions. CHWs require training, support and supervision to develop competencies navigating complex relationships within the community and the health system to provide effective care in communities.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document