Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #109531

Laban Tsuma, MD, MPH, Headquarters, Plan International, 3260 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 21, Arlington, VA 22201, 1-703-807-0190, laban.tsuma@plan-international.org, Pierre-Marie Metangmo, MD, MBA, MPH, Plan International, Senior CS Program Coordinator, 3260 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 21, Arlington, VA 22201, and Luis Tam, MD, DrPH, Plan USA, 1730 N Lynn St, Suite 600, Arlington, VA 22209.

Background: Plan International has been implementing a five-year Child Survival project in partnership with the Ministry of Health and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Bara district, Nepal since 30 September 2001. The project's goal is to assist Ministry of Health improve health status of children under five and of women of reproductive age. Project interventions include control of diarrhea, pneumonia case management, maternal and newborn care, and child spacing. Design/Methods: The project noticed that Pregnant women and mothers of under-five children weren't participating as expected and key project messages weren't being delivered. The team came up with a strategy to rejuvenate mother's groups -- the creation of pregnant women's groups. Each group comprises 7-15 pregnant women living in the same village who meet once a month to discuss issues related to mother and child health. Postnatal mothers, mothers of under-five children, and mother in laws are also encouraged to participate. Female community health volunteers facilitate these meetings. Outreach workers from the local health facility are encouraged to participate and support the sessions technically and managerially. In some areas group meetings are linked with outreach clinics operated by the workers. Meetings take the form of a social mapping session. Pregnant women draw their community map on the ground and identify major landmarks e.g. roads and the volunteer's house. They then locate their own houses by placing a stone on the map. Every pregnant woman updates the status of health indicators (such as the number of iron tablets consumed) by sticking colored dots next to her house on the map. The volunteer distributes iron tablets. She also administers vitamin A capsules to postnatal women and family planning commodities to married women who join the session. She delivers an educational talk at the end of the session. Results/Outcomes: 450 groups have been formed . Health facility staff report increased uptake of such services as antenatal check-ups, postnatal vitamin A supplementation and immunization among children aged 12-23 months. In some areas uptake is reported to have increased from below 5% to 70%. Conclusions: A focus on currently pregnant mothers by Safe Motherhood programs by their active involvement yields many returns.

Learning Objectives:

• To recognize the importance of inclusion in participation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.