This paper uses Demographic and Health Surveys data from 21 countries in sub-Saharan Africa to examine the use of maternal health services by teenagers. A comparison of maternal health care between teenagers and older women, based on bivariate analysis shows little variation in maternal health care by age. However, after controlling for the effect of background factors such as parity, premarita...

The aim of this paper is to propose a framework for making antenatal care an effective strategy in reducing the high maternal mortality ratio in Nigeria. On-site visits to five teaching hospitals were carried out between 2006 and 2008 to assess the practice of antenatal care. Group discussions with 200 parturients on their awareness of birth preparedness/complication readiness were conducted, i...

OBJECTIVE To obtain background information about maternal health and health-seeking behaviors among indigenous mothers living in rural Mam-Mayan communities of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. METHODS A cross-sectional analysis of 100 pregnant and breastfeeding women in four communities was performed to determine prevalence and determinants of service utilization. RESULTS Extreme poverty, poor ed...

BACKGROUND Pakistan's Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Program is faced with multiple challenges in service delivery, financial and logistic management, training and deployment of human resources, and integration within the existing health system. There is a lack of evidence on managerial aspects of the MNCH program management and implementation. METHODS AND FINDINGS This study used ...

Virgin adult female mice display nearly spontaneous maternal care towards foster pups after a short period of sensitization. This indicates that maternal care is triggered by sensory stimulation provided by the pups and that its onset is largely independent on the physiological events related to gestation, parturition and lactation. Conversely, the factors influencing maternal aggression are po...

BACKGROUND Improving maternal health remains a major challenge facing Malawi because at 984 deaths per 100,000 live births, the maternal mortality ratio is among the highest in the world. Although the health status of women in child-bearing age groups is low in all the three regions of Malawi, there are marked regional differences in several health indicators. OBJECTIVE To analyze the degree ...

Introduction: Preconception care is an integral part of healthcare services for women, in which the existing risks for pregnancy are evaluated. This study aimed to determine the frequency of preconception care and its importance for the health of mother, fetus, and newborn in years 2009-2012.  Methods: In this descriptive retrospective study, the study population included newly-pregnant mother...

OBJECTIVE To describe the socio-demographic characteristics and the three delays of maternal mortality in a tertiary teaching hospital. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective, observational study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Unit III, Civil Hospital, Karachi, from April 2005 to May 2008. METHODOLOGY One hundred and four consecutive maternal deaths were review...

OBJECTIVE The need for effective strategies for delivery of healthcare to rural women is paramount and requires a study of maternal perceptions and experiences of the healthcare system. METHOD This article describes knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding obstetric healthcare in a rural area of Pakistan. This is a cross sectional survey of a rural area of district Hyderabad, Pakistan. A ...

BACKGROUND There is a growing movement, globally and in the Africa region, to reduce financial barriers to health care generally, but with particular emphasis on high priority services and vulnerable groups. OBJECTIVE This article reports on the experience of implementing a national policy to exempt women from paying for delivery care in public, mission and private health facilities in Ghana....