Women's groups' perceptions of maternal health issues in rural Malawi

详细信息    查看全文

• 作者：Mikey Rosato ; Charles W Mwansambo ; Peter N Kazembe ; Tambosi Phiri ; Queen S Soko ; Sonia Lewycka ; Beata E Kunyenge ; Stefania Vergnano ; David Osrin ; Marie-Louise Newell and Anthony M de L Costello
• 刊名：The Lancet
• 出版年：2006
• 出版时间：30 September 2006-6 October 2006
• 年：2006
• 卷：368
• 期：9542
• 页码：1180-1188
• 全文大小：169 K

文摘

Summary

Background

Improvements in preventive and care-seeking behaviours to reduce maternal mortality in rural Africa depend on the knowledge and attitudes of women and communities. Surveys have indicated a poor awareness of maternal health problems by individual women. We report the perceptions of women's groups to such issues in the rural Mchinji district of Malawi.

Methods

Participatory women's groups in the Mchinji district identified maternal health problems (172 groups, 3171 women) and prioritised problems they considered most important (171 groups, 2833 women). In-depth qualitative data was obtained through six focus-group discussions with the women's groups, three with women's group facilitators, and four interviews with facilitator supervisors.

Findings

The maternal health problems most commonly identified by more than half the groups were anaemia (87 % ), malaria (80 % ), retained placenta (77 % ), obstructed labour (76 % ), malpresentation (71 % ), antepartum and postpartum haemorrhage (70 % each), and pre-eclampsia (56 % ). The five problems prioritised as most important were anaemia (sum of rank score 304), malpresentation (295), retained placenta (277), obstructed labour (276). and postpartum haemorrhage (275). HIV/AIDS and sepsis were identified or prioritised much less because complexity and contextual factors hindered their consideration.

Interpretation

Rural Malawian women meeting in participatory groups showed a developed awareness of maternal health problems and the concern and motivation to address them. Community mobilisation strategies, such as women's groups, might be effective at reducing maternal mortality because they can draw on the collective capacity in communities to solve problems and make women's voices heard by decision-makers.