This study aimed to describe indicators of health care assistance during antenatal care, delivery and in the first year of life in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. In 1982, 1993, and 2004, all hospital newborns from the urban area of Pelotas were enrolled in a cohort study. In this period, the number of pregnant women that did not attend antenatal care fell from 4.9% to 1.9%; the mean ...

INTRODUCTION HIV testing and counseling is a critical component of the overall response to the HIV epidemic in low and middle income countries. To date, little attention has been paid to the role of private for-profit providers in HIV testing. METHODS We use data from Demographic and Health Surveys and AIDS Indicators Surveys to explore the extent to which this sector provides HIV testing in ...

The proportion of pregnant women initiating prenatal care during first trimester pregnancy is one of the standard clinical performance measures to assess the quality of maternal health care. Aiming to assess the proportion and factors associated with late booking at antenatal care, this health-institution based cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June 2012 among 390 pregnant mothe...

BACKGROUND The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in the Philippines is higher than in most other Southeast Asian countries, and home delivery is a major factor contributing to the high MMR. This study aims to explore the determinants for choice of delivery location in Ifugao Province, where people have poor access to health services. FINDINGS A household interview survey using a structured quest...

The mother's culture has been identified as a factor in the use of health services for prenatal care. Beliefs and practices concerning traditional and domestic medicine used by women during pregnancy can play a role in the decision to seek medical care. In a non-probabilistic sample of 3,250 women, alternative care during pregnancy and its relationship to satisfactory prenatal care was studied....

BACKGROUND Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) is among the key HIV prevention strategies in Zimbabwe. A decrease in use of antenatal care (ANC) services with an increase in home deliveries is affecting the coverage of PMTCT interventions in a context of accelerated economic crisis. The main objective was to evaluate acceptability and feasibility of reinforcing the role of...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether a complex community intervention in rural Zambia improved understanding of maternal health and increased use of maternal health-care services. METHODS The intervention took place in six rural districts selected by the Zambian Ministry of Health. It involved community discussions on safe pregnancy and delivery led by trained volunteers and the provision of emerge...

This study aimed to verify if pregnant women attended in prenatal care services at Basic Health Units in Ribeirão Preto-SP, Brazil, received nutritional guidance and if this guidance was pertinent to their nutritional status. Ninety-one pregnant women participated. The pregnant women were classified according to their nutritional condition, using a weight, height and pregnancy stage table estab...

BACKGROUND Neonatal death accounts for one fifth of all under-five mortality in Uganda. Suboptimal newborn care practices resulting from hypothermia, poor hygiene and delayed initiation of breastfeeding are leading predisposing factors. Evidence suggests focused educational prenatal care messages to mitigate these problems. However, there is a paucity of data on the interaction between the serv...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of vouchers for maternity care in public health-care facilities on the utilization of maternal health-care services in Cambodia. METHODS The study involved data from the 2010 Cambodian Demographic and Health Survey, which covered births between 2005 and 2010. The effect of voucher schemes, first implemented in 2007, on the utilization of maternal health-care s...