scholarly journals Adaptation and Integration of Psychosocial Stimulation, Maternal Mental Health and Nutritional Interventions for Pregnant and Lactating Women in Rural Bangladesh

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (17) ◽  
pp. 6233
Author(s):  
Fahmida Akter ◽  
Mahbubur Rahman ◽  
Helen O. Pitchik ◽  
Peter J. Winch ◽  
Lia C. H. Fernald ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Health ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Integrated Curriculum ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Maternal Mental Health ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Resource Setting ◽  
Lactating Mothers ◽  
Psychosocial Stimulation

Supporting caregivers’ mental wellbeing and ability to provide psychosocial stimulation may promote early childhood development. This paper describes the systematic approach of developing an integrated stimulation intervention, identifying the feasibility and challenges faced throughout the period. We developed an integrated curriculum by culturally adapting three interventions (Reach Up, Thinking Healthy, and general nutrition advice) and piloted this curriculum (Mar–April 2017) in courtyard groups sessions and individual home visits with pregnant women (n = 11) and lactating mothers (of children <24 months) (n = 29). We conducted qualitative interviews with the participants (n = 8) and the community health workers who delivered the intervention (n = 2). Most participants reported willingness to attend the sessions if extended for 1 year, and recommended additional visual cues and interactive role-play activities to make the sessions more engaging. Participants and community health workers found it difficult to understand the concept of “unhealthy thoughts” in the curriculum. This component was then revised to include a simplified behavior-focused story. Community health workers reported difficulty balancing the required content of the integrated curriculum but were able to manage after the contents were reduced. The revised intervention is likely feasible to deliver to a group of pregnant and lactating mothers in a low-resource setting.

scholarly journals Postpartum Depression: Prevention strategies in South East Asia and its possibility of replication in Nepal

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-18
Author(s):  
Manisha Singh ◽  
Ishwar Tiwari ◽  
Dinesh Bhandari ◽  
Basanta Katwal
Keyword(s):  
Postpartum Depression ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Maternal Mental Health ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Depression Prevention

Aims: To identify existing interventions in South East Asian countries implemented to prevent postpartum depression (PPD) and explore the possibility of replication of such interventions in Nepal to reduce it. Methods: The paper reviewed the risk factors and preventive strategies implemented in South East Asian countries to prevent PPD. Results: Enough actions have not been taken to address PPD despite of high prevalence in the reviewed countries (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Srilanka and Nepal). However, some of the interventions used such as cognitive behavior therapy, education for girls, poverty alleviation program, participatory approach for empowerment and involvement of community health workers have shown positive impact on reducing PPD. Conclusions: The interventions used in South East Asian countries were simple in design intervention and mostly conducted through community health workers; it showed a possibility of replication in Nepal as it already has sufficient community workforces working in maternal and child health.   Keywords: interventions, maternal depression, maternal mental health, post–partum depression, prevention, south asia, strategies

scholarly journals Success Factors for Community Health Workers inImplementing an Integrated Group-Based Child Development Intervention in Rural Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (15) ◽  
pp. 7891
Author(s):  
Tania Jahir ◽  
Peter J. Winch ◽  
Elli Leontsini ◽  
Sharon T. Hwang ◽  
Farzana Yeasmin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Health ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Maternal Mental Health ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Qualitative Evaluation ◽  
Rural Bangladesh ◽  
Group Meetings

Community Health Workers (CHWs) can effectively implement maternal and child health interventions, but there is paucity of evidence on how to integrate child stimulation into these interventions, and their delivery at scale. In rural Bangladesh, CHWs implemented an intervention integrating psychosocial stimulation, nutrition, maternal mental health, water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) and lead exposure prevention. In each of 16 intervention villages, one CHW worked with 20 households. CHWs bi-weekly held group meetings or alternated group meetings and home visits with pregnant women and lactating mothers. We assessed the intervention through five focus groups, four interviews and one group discussion with CHWs and their supervisors to explore success factors of implementation. CHWs’ training, one-on-one supervision and introduction by staff to their own community, and adoption of tablet computers as job aids, enabled successful session delivery to convey behavioral recommendations. CHWs reported difficulties delivering session due to the complexity of behavioral recommendations and struggled with age-specific intervention material. Young children’s attendance in group sessions generated distractions that undermined content delivery. We identified ways to minimize the difficulties to strengthen intervention-delivery during implementation, and scale-up. Iterative revisions of similarly integrated interventions based on qualitative evaluation findings could be delivered feasibly by CHWs and allow for implementation at scale.

Bringing Community Health Workers into the Mainstream of U.S. Health Care

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Pittman ◽  
Anne Sunderland ◽  
Andrew Broderick ◽  
Kevin Barnett
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Health Workers
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