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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 8, 2005
New World Bank Publication Cites Successful Maternal
Health Programs in Guatemala, Indonesia, and Nepal
BALTIMORE — Evidence of the positive impact of three country maternal health programs from research conducted by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Communication Programs (CCP) is featured in a recently released publication from the World Bank.
The publication , Accelerating Progress towards Achieving the MDG to Improve Maternal Health, is a collection of promising approaches that were designed to meet the Millennium Development Goals of reducing maternal mortality by three-fourths by 2015. CCP monitored and evaluated maternal health programs in Nepal , Indonesia , and Guatemala in coordination with the JHPIEGO Corp., an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University , and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
“These global promising approaches, based on field research and practice by experienced organizations working in this arena, can serve as a useful starting point in the process to improve current maternal health programming,” said the introduction to the report, which was written by Geeta Nanda, Kimberly Switlick, and Elizabeth Lule.
In all three countries, communication interventions were designed to increase awareness of dangers signs during childbirth and pregnancy, and prepare women, their families, and their communities to better deal with complications during birth.
In Guatemala , the USAID-supported Maternal and Neonatal Health Program (MNH) led to significant improvements in knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to recognizing danger signs and knowing what to do in the case of an obstetrical emergency. For example, women exposed to the program were significantly more likely to give birth at a health care facility and know that severe bleeding was a danger sign.
The SIAGA campaign in Indonesia engaged husbands as well as community members and wives to be alert for obstetrical emergencies to help reduce delays in seeking treatment. SIAGA, which means alert , also led to increased knowledge of severe bleeding as a danger sign. In addition, researchers found an increase in planning for childbirth through such activities as fundraising, arranging for transportation, and lining up blood donors.
Nepal 's SUMATA initiative was aimed at husbands and mothers-in-law because research showed they were the key decision-makers for women making reproductive health choices in Nepal . The initiative urged mothers-in-law and husbands to Care, Share, and Prepare for childbirth. In Nepali, Care, Share and Prepare abbreviated spells SUMATA. Through a participatory approach, SUMATA brought together all the stakeholders working to reduce maternal mortality in Nepal under one umbrella.
The report said that while it was primarily intended for use by Bank staff, “we hope this guide will also be useful to governments, other international donor agencies, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), who are interested in improving maternal health, and minimizing the disparities that currently exist between industrialized and developing countries.”
With representatives in more than 30 countries, John s Hopkins' CCP partners with organizations worldwide to design, implement strategic communication programs that influence political dialogue, collective action, and individual behavior change; enhance access to information and the exchange of knowledge that improve health and health care; and conduct research to guide program design, evaluate impact and advance knowledge and practice in health communication. For more information, visit www.jhuccp.org .
View the World Bank report.
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