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

Abstract #116147

Natalia V. Vartapetova, MD, PhD and Natalia G. Kisseleva, MD, PhD. Maternal and Child Health Initiative, John Snow, Inc., Koroviy val street 7, office 175, Moscow, 117049, Russia, + 7 095 937 36 23, nvart@jsi.ru

Women and Infant Health Project (WIN) was designed to improve maternal and newborn health care. The project was funded by USAID and conducted in Russia by John Snow, Inc. in two pilot regions in 2000 - 2003. Interventions included promotion of exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months. These interventions fell into three main areas: clinical and counseling training in evidence-based medical practices and follow-up supervision; community-based and facility-based information, education and communication activities, and advocacy and policy promotion at all levels of the health administration. Effectiveness of the interventions was assessed through baseline and endline facility-based and household surveys and facility-based monitoring system. The number of mothers who breastfed during their stays at Maternity Hospitals increased from 26% in the year 2000 to 88% in 2003. 70% of new mothers exclusively breastfed their babies for the first six months of their lives in 2003 compared to only 28% in 2000. Among women in the community perceptions of the prevailing norms in their community about breastfeeding (think most friends would breastfeed) increased about six fold, from 8% at baseline to 53% at endline. The project results were highly recognized by Ministry of Health and Russian partners: 39 requests to roll-out were received from Russian regions. USAID has funded a follow-on Maternal and Child Health Initiative to disseminate effective interventions in 12 new regions.

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