BACKGROUND Maternal morbidity and mortality remains high in Uganda; largely due to inadequate antenatal care (ANC), low skilled deliveries and poor quality of other maternal health services. In order to address both the demand and quality of ANC and skilled deliveries, we introduced community mobilization and health facility capacity strengthening interventions. METHODS Interventions were int...

rather than some or many, difficulties with inlaws (odds ratio, 1.5). Among women in nuclear families, having no in-laws was associated with increased odds of hospital delivery (1.7); relationship quality with in-laws was not associated with facility births. Marital relationship quality was a predictor of maternal health care use only in nuclear families: Compared with women who reported many d...

Maternal mortality in Bangladesh was 320 per 100,000 live births between the years of 1998 and 2000. Utilization of maternal health services remains low in the low-resource countries like Bangladesh. This study attempts to evaluate the levels, patterns, and trends of utilization of antenatal care (ANC) services in Bangladesh. This is a descriptive study based on national surveys of Bangladesh D...

BACKGROUND AND METHODS Monitoring use-inequity is important to measure progress in efforts to address health-inequities. Using data from six Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys (BDHS), we examine trends, inequities and socio-demographic determinants of use of maternal health care services in Bangladesh between 1991 and 2011. FINDINGS Access to maternal health care services has improved ...

BACKGROUND Maternal mortality rates are unacceptably high in Ethiopia. Institutional delivery with skilled care of the mother is one of the interventions proven to reduce the risk of complications that can cause maternal and neonatal mortality. Quality of service given during antenatal visits and childbirth are important measures. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of skilled ...

Background: Prenatal care plays an important role in the reduction of the maternal and infant mortality rates. This study was conducted in order to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of prenatal care among women in Rafsanjan. Materials and Methods:  This descriptive and cross-sectional study was done in the year 2000.  The KAP eas determined by interviewing 642 women during t...

BACKGROUND The Millennium Development Goals call for a 75% reduction in maternal mortality between 1990 and 2015. Skilled birth attendance and emergency obstetric care, including Caesarean section, are two of the most important interventions to reduce maternal mortality. Although international pressure is rising to increase donor assistance for essential health services in developing countries,...

BACKGROUND Maternal health services have a potentially critical role in the improvement of reproductive health. In order to get a better understanding of adolescent mothers'needs we compared health seeking practices of first time adolescent and adult mothers during pregnancy and early motherhood in Wakiso district, Uganda. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study conducted between May and Aug...

INTRODUCTION Male participation is a crucial component in the optimization of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services. This is especially so where prevention strategies to decrease Mother-to-Child Transmission (MTCT) of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are sought. This study aims to identify determinants of male partners' involvement in MCH activities, focusing specifically on HIV prevention...

CONTEXT Although the reduction of maternal mortality levels is a key Millennium Development Goal, community-based evidence on obstetric complications and maternal care-seeking behavior remains limited in low-resource countries. METHODS This study presents an overview of key findings from the 2001 Bangladesh Maternal Health Services and Maternal Mortality Survey of ever-married women aged 13-4...