scholarly journals Access to Facility-Based Childbirth: Women’s Experience on Enablers and Obstacles to the Utilisation of Waiting Mothers’ Shelters in Rural Zimbabwe

Author(s):  
Brenda Muchabveyo

Abstract This article explores experiences and perceptions of women concerning the utilising a waiting mothers’ shelter at Bonda Mission Hospital in the Manicaland province of Zimbabwe. It draws on a phenomenological qualitative research design. This incorporated in-depth interviews and key informant interviews with purposively selected fifteen women who have used the waiting mothers’ shelter since 2015 and eight healthcare practitioners respectively. The paper is guided by Alfred Schutz’s (1972) social phenomenology. While the findings reveal that most women acknowledged the importance of waiting mothers’ shelters in improving access to skilled birth attendance and maternal health outcomes, there are still factors that militate the use of such innovations. Several socio-cultural and economic factors such as constrained decision making among women, mistreatment and lack of privacy in the shelters are some of the deterrent factors. The article concludes that, although waiting mothers’ shelters are facilities proven to be beneficial in rural communities, they continually face the risk of not being used. There is a need for a multi-stakeholder approach to address the barriers that deter women from utilising the waiting mothers’ shelters and improve access to facility-based delivery, access to skilled birth attendants and enhance the maternal health outcomes in rural communities in Zimbabwe.

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y R Baral ◽  
K Lyons ◽  
J Skinner ◽  
E R Van Teijlingen

This review is to explore the factors affecting the uptake of skilled birth attendants for delivery and the issues associated with women’s role and choices of maternal health care service for delivery in Nepal. Literature was reviewed across the globe and discussed in a Nepalese context. Delivery by Skilled Birth Attendance serves as an indicator of progress towards reducing maternal mortality worldwide, the fifth Millennium Development Goal. Nepal has committed to reducing its maternal mortality by 75% by 2015 through ensuring accessibility to the availability and utilisation of skilled care at every birth. The literature suggests that several socio-economic, cultural and religious factors play a significant role in the use of Skilled Birth Attendance for delivery in Nepal. Availability of transportation and distance to the health facility; poor infrastructure and lack of services; availability and accessibility of the services; cost and convenience; staff shortages and attitudes; gender inequality; status of women in society; women’s involvement in decision making; and women’s autonomy and place of residence are significant contributing factors for uptake of Skilled Birth Attendance for delivery in Nepal. The review found more quantitative research studies exploring the determinants of utilisation of the maternal health services during pregnancy in Nepal than qualitative studies. Findings of quantitative research show that different social demographic, economic, socio-cultural and religious factors are responsible for the utilisation of maternal health services but very few studies discussed how and why these factors are responsible for utilisation of skilled birth attendants in pregnancy. It is suggested that there is need for more qualitative research to explore the women’s role and choice regarding use of skilled birth attendants services and to find out how and why these factors are responsible for utilisation of skilled birth attendants for delivery. Qualitative research will help further exploration of the issues and contribute to improvement of maternal health services.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/kumj.v8i3.6223 Kathmandu Univ Med J 2010;8(3):325-32 


Author(s):  
Jason Reece

Housing quality, stability, and affordability have a direct relationship to socioemotional and physical health. Both city planning and public health have long recognized the role of housing in health, but the complexity of this relationship in regard to infant and maternal health is less understood. Focusing on literature specifically relevant to U.S. metropolitan areas, I conduct a multidisciplinary literature review to understand the influence of housing factors and interventions that impact infant and maternal health. The paper seeks to achieve three primary goals. First, to identify the primary “pathways” by which housing influences infant and maternal health. Second, the review focuses on the role and influence of historical housing discrimination on maternal health outcomes. Third, the review identifies emergent practice-based housing interventions in planning and public health practice to support infant and maternal health. The literature suggests that the impact of housing on infant health is complex, multifaceted, and intergenerational. Historical housing discrimination also directly impacts contemporary infant and maternal health outcomes. Policy interventions to support infant health through housing are just emerging but demonstrate promising outcomes. Structural barriers to housing affordability in the United States will require new resources to foster greater collaboration between the housing and the health sectors.


Author(s):  
Maxwell Barnish ◽  
Si Ying Tan ◽  
Araz Taeihagh ◽  
Michelle Tørnes ◽  
Rebecca Nelson-Horne ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mishel Unar‐Munguía ◽  
Dalia Stern ◽  
Monica Arantxa Colchero ◽  
Teresita González de Cosío

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 209-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Risa M. Hoffman ◽  
Konstantia Nadia Angelidou ◽  
Sean S. Brummel ◽  
Friday Saidi ◽  
Avy Violari ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Alem Desta Wuneh ◽  
Araya Abrha Medhanyie ◽  
Afework Mulugeta Bezabih ◽  
Lars Åke Persson ◽  
Joanna Schellenberg ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Despite the pro-poor health policies in Ethiopia, the utilization of maternal, neonatal, and child health services remains a challenge for the country. Health equity became central in the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals globally and is a priority for Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to assess equity in utilization of a range of maternal and child health services by applying absolute and relative equity indices. Methods Data on maternal and child health utilization emanated from a baseline survey conducted for a large project ‘Optimizing the Health Extension Program from December 2016 to February 2017 in four regions of Ethiopia. The utilization of four or more antenatal care visits; skilled birth attendance; postnatal care within 2 days after childbirth; immunization with BCG, polio 3, pentavalent 3, measles and full immunization of children aged 12–23 months; and vitamin A supplementation for 6–23 months old children were stratified by wealth quintiles. The socioeconomic status of the household was assessed by household assets and measured by constructing a wealth index using principal component analysis. Equity was assessed by applying two absolute inequity indices (Wealth index [quintile 5- quintile 1] and slope index of inequality) and two relative inequity indices (Wealth index [quintile5: quintile1] and concentration index). Results The maternal health services utilization was low and inequitably distributed favoring the better-off women. About 44, 71, and 18% of women from the better-off households had four or more antenatal visits, utilized skilled birth attendance and postnatal care within two days compared to 20, 29, and 8% of women from the poorest households, respectively. Skilled birth attendance was the most inequitably distributed maternal health service. All basic immunizations: BCG, polio 3, pentavalent 3, measles, and full immunization in children aged 12–23 months and vitamin A supplementation were equitably distributed. Conclusion Utilization of maternal health services was low, inequitable, and skewed against women from the poorest households. In contrast, preventive child health services were equitably distributed. Efforts to increase utilization and reinforcement of pro-poor and pro-rural strategies for maternal, newborn and immunization services in Ethiopia should be strengthened.


2020 ◽  
Vol 135 (5) ◽  
pp. 658-667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia N. Abuelezam ◽  
Adolfo G. Cuevas ◽  
Sandro Galea ◽  
Summer Sherburne Hawkins

Objectives The health profile of Arab American mothers and infants may differ from that of non–Arab American mothers and infants in the United States as a result of social stigma experienced in the historical and current sociopolitical climate. The objective of our study was to compare maternal health behaviors, maternal health outcomes, and infant health outcomes of Arab American mothers and non-Hispanic white mothers in Massachusetts and to assess the role of nativity as an effect modifier. Methods Using data from Massachusetts birth certificates (2012-2016), we conducted adjusted logistic and linear regression models for maternal health behaviors, maternal health outcomes, and infant health outcomes. We used Arab ethnicity as the exposure of interest and nativity as an effect modifier. Results Arab American mothers had higher odds than non-Hispanic white mothers of initiating breastfeeding (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.61; 95% CI, 2.39-2.86), giving birth to small-for-gestational-age infants (aOR = 1.28; 95% CI, 1.18-1.39), and having gestational diabetes (aOR = 1.31; 95% CI, 1.20-1.44). Among Arab American mothers, non–US-born mothers had higher odds than US-born mothers of having gestational diabetes (aOR = 1.80; 95% CI, 1.33-2.44) and lower odds of initiating prenatal care in the first trimester (aOR = 0.41; 95% CI, 0.33-0.50). In linear regression models, infants born to non–US-born Arab American mothers weighed 42.1 g (95% CI, −75.8 to −8.4 g) less than infants born to US-born Arab American mothers. Conclusion Although Arab American mothers engage in positive health behaviors, non–US-born mothers had poorer maternal health outcomes and access to prenatal care than US-born mothers, suggesting the need for targeted interventions for non–US-born Arab American mothers.


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