Open Access Pub publishes peer-reviewed, free-to-read open-access articles. Showing
articles matching Child Health — open any to read the full text,
or download the PDF or XML.
Oct 2022 DOI 10.14302/issn.2641-4538.jphi-22-4333
Hezagira EmeryCorresponding author
Public Health Department, Mount Kenya University Rwanda
The motivations and barriers experienced by community health workers (CHWs) during the delivery of maternal and child health (MCH) services are less documented in Rwanda. This study aimed to explore the barriers and facilitators of implementing MCH care as perceived by CHWs. A descriptive qualitative study was conducted, and Semi-structured interviews with flow-up probing questions were used to collect data. A number of 24 interviews were conducted with CHWs from three selected sectors of the Gicumbi district including four supervisors of CHWs from each selected health center and one at the district hospital. Three focus group discussions with CHWs from each site were also conducted. Ethical approval was obtained from Mount Kenya University and permission to collect data from the study sites was granted. NVIVO software was used for analysis, and then the content analysis was adopted to identify themes merging from the interviews and focus group discussions. The study findings revealed emerged factors that facilitate the CHWs to deliver MCH services to their communities: liking their work, trust by the community, respect from the community, the willingness to help, desire to gain knowledge, being human, and sacrifice for the wellness of the community. On another hand, the findings indicated that the work of CHW has various barriers including working many hours, lack of equipment, lack of knowledge, unsatisfactory salary, heavy workload, lack of working space, lack of facilitation for communication, family conflicts, lack of specified working time, and believes.
Feb 2019 DOI 10.14302/issn.2641-4538.jphi-19-2589
Ahmadou Diallo AlphaCorresponding author
Ministry of Health
Several studies show that policies to improve maternal and infant health must be contextualised within broader questions and commitments concerning women’s empowerment. There are, however, two-way linkages between women’s empowerment and reproductive services. Certain institutional approaches that support women’s reproductive health can themselves be experienced as empowering whereas others, however well-meaning, can be experienced as disempowering, undermining health and broader goals. It is thus important to discern and support those elements of reproductive services that might have empowerment outcomes, and to avoid others that undermine them. This paper is premised on the hypothesis that approaches to reproductive health that are rooted in women’s life worlds, that support women’s social networks and which enhance women’s confidence and control will have very different empowerment effect from those that subordinate women and their networks to external expertise and (often male) authority and undermine women’s preferences or autonomy. We (a) conduct an audit of positive practices concerning maternal and child health and (b) examine how current support to maternal and infant health articulates with this. Analysis seeks to reposition indigenous knowledge, community wisdom and their secular practices in a way that promotes better health provision that is integrated with these existing practices and that is empowering.
Dec 2023 DOI 10.14302/issn.2381-862X.jwrh-23-4750
Godar MousamiCorresponding author
Background Preconception care is a crucial aspect of maternal and child healthcare services that aims to mitigate adverse pregnancy outcomes and enhance the desired health outcomes for women, newborns, and children. Despite the continuous multi-sectoral efforts in preconception care, maternal mortality and morbidity remain significant health concerns globally. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and practice of preconception care and its associated factors among women of reproductive age in Bheerkot Municipality, Nepal. Methodology A community-based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 215 reproductive-age women to assess knowledge and practice regarding preconception care in Bheerkot Municipality, Nepal. Structured questionnaires were designed in the Nepali language and used in face-to-face interviews. We used a simple random sampling technique to collect quantitative data. In a statistical analysis, we employed the Chi-squared test and logistic regression analysis to identify possible predictors using the odds ratio and considered variables with p<0.05 statistically significant at a 95% confidence interval. Result Out of the 215 women who participated in the study, only 46.9% had a good knowledge of preconception care. Approximately half (43.7%) of the respondents had never practiced preconception care. Among respondents who had practiced preconception care before, 47.9% reported good practice, and 52.1% reported poor practice. Age of the respondent (χ2=14.2063, P=0.000823, df=1), marital status (χ2=17.9851, P=0.000022, df=1), time to reach a health facility (χ2=30.1371, P=0.00001, df=1), and age at first pregnancy (χ2=4.7975, P=0.0285, df=1) were statistically associated with knowledge about preconception care. Women who have foreign employment as a major source of family income and whose age is from 25 to 34 years were more likely to have a better practice of preconception care than their counterparts (COR 3.5000, CI 1.3343 to 9.1805, P = 0.0109) and (COR 3.4000, CI 1.1646 to 9.9265, P = 0.0252), respectively. Additionally, out of those who practiced preconception care, most respondents (93.4%) have practiced it in government health facilities. Conclusion Respondents had relatively poor knowledge and practice of preconception care. Collaboration of governmental health institutions between multiple sectors at local levels for more education and information and a specific national protocol or policy formulation would be beneficial in improving preconception care in Nepal.
Nov 2021 DOI 10.14302/issn.2997-2108.jcc-21-3975
Alemneh Sinishaw MulusewCorresponding author
Clinical Chemistry department, School of Health Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
Background Eighty five percent of cervical cancer occurrence in resource-poor countries. Contributing factors for these are inadequate knowledge about the disease, early initiation of sexual intercourse and multiple sexual partners. Early screening is an intervention in reduction of maternal deaths due to cervical cancer. Consequently this study was conducted aiming to find out about the practice of cervical cancer screening and its associated factors. Methods A facility based cross sectional study was conducted using a pretested structured questionnaire among women attended Maternal and Child Health (MCH) department of Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital (FHRH) from March15 to April 15, 2019. The study participants were selected systematically. The collected data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Logistic regression analysis was employed to examine factors association with cervical cancer screening that was confirmed using AOR with its 95% CI. Results A total of 400 study participants were included with a response rate of 99.5%. Of the total study participants only 78 (19.5%; 95% CI: 15.6, 23.4) practiced screening for cervical cancer. The cervical cancer screening practice was affected by age (AOR=2.025; 95% CI: 1.118, 3.668). Of those women who had ever heard of about cervical cancer were seven fold more likely to practice cervical screening (AOR=6.924; 95% CI: 1.602, 29.928) compared to those who did not have any information before. Moreover, knowing genital tract discharge as a problem of female organ implement fourfold more likely compared to that of knowing nothing about problem of genital tract (AOR=3.766; 95% CI: 1.761,8.055). Conclusion and Recommendation The study depicted there was low utilization of cervical cancer screening. Awareness creation about cervical cancer and knowledge of genital tract problems had positive influence for screening practice.
Mar 2016 DOI 10.14302/issn.2577-137X.ji-15-834
Z Kompithra RajeevCorresponding author
Department of Child Health, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632004, India
The Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in India delivers vaccines under its policy, through government hospitals, health centers and outreach clinics. However, the national average full immunization coverage is stagnating at about 70%. The days and times of clinics are not always convenient for mothers working at home or employed outside. Moreover, vaccines not under EPI, but recommended by the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP), are unavailable there, forcing mothers to go to private sector immunization clinics to get them. Recognizing the local need for user-friendly immunization clinic, we designed one in the Department of Child Health. The impetus came from local demand by a civil society organization (Rotary Club of Vellore). Our immunization clinic is open every working day (8.30 am to 4.00 pm) offering both groups of vaccines. Its success is illustrated by the fact that over 7000 children per month receive immunization in this clinic. We describe its design and operation so that this model may be replicated in other urban hospitals with pediatric sections.