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Reaching vulnerable women through maternity waiting homes in Malawi
Author(s) -
Singh Kavita,
Speizer Ilene,
Kim Eunsoo Timothy,
Lemani Clara,
Phoya Ann
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1002/ijgo.12013
Subject(s) - medicine , abortion , demography , district hospital , cross sectional study , developing country , obstetrics , pregnancy , family medicine , genetics , pathology , sociology , biology , economics , economic growth
Objective To determine whether two maternity waiting homes ( MWH s) supported by the Safe Motherhood Initiative are reaching vulnerable women during the early phase of their implementation. Methods A cross‐sectional interview‐based study was conducted among women who attended two centers in Malawi with attached MWH s (Area 25 Health Centre, Lilongwe; and Kasungu District Hospital, Kasungu). Between April and June 2015, exit interviews were conducted among MWH users and non‐users. Results Compared with non‐users, MWH users at Area 25 were significantly more likely to report a prior spontaneous abortion (10/46 [21.7%] vs 5/95 [5.3%]; P =0.006) and to be in the lowest wealth quintile (4/87 [4.6%] vs 0/150; P =0.029). Although not significant, a greater percentage of MWH users at Kasungu District Hospital than non‐users had a prior stillbirth (6/84 [7.1%] vs 0/77) or spontaneous abortion (3/84 [3.6%] vs 2/77 [2.6%]), and were in the lowest wealth quintile (15/175 [8.6%] vs 5/141 [3.5%]). MWH users at Kasungu lived further from the hospital than did non‐ MWH users, although the difference was not significant (mean 6.81±9.1 km vs 4.05±7.42 km; P =0.067). Conclusion MWH s offer a promising strategy to reduce maternal mortality in Malawi and other low‐income countries.