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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

John Ross, PhD, 'Demi Adelaja, MPH, and Lori Bollinger, PhD. Futures Group/Constella, 80 Glastonbury Blvd, Glastonbury, CT 06033, 860-633-3501, lbollinger@futuresgroup.com

Objective: To assess efforts by national programs to improve maternal and neonatal health from 1999 to 2005.

Methods: 14 components of effort based upon 81 questionnaire items were measured for 49 to 55 countries in 1999, 2002, and 2005, covering about 85% of the developing world's population. A standard questionnaire was completed by 10-25 experts in each country, with all questionnaires analyzed centrally and results returned to each country.

Findings: An overall index of effort showed no significant improvement over the six year period. The profiles of effort across the 14 components were quite similar in the three rounds, supporting the usefulness of the methodology while also confirming the consistency of non-improvement. Rural access to services, in essentially all countries, is very inferior to urban access. Ratings for antenatal and neonatal care were among the highest while those for health center capacities were among the lowest.

Conclusion: Effort levels by maternal health programs in developing countries remain seriously deficient. Even by the standard set by the best scoring countries the ratings show only about 75% of maximum effort achieved. The overall average is just above half of maximum effort, at about 56% in all three years, whether countries are weighted equally or by their population sizes.

Learning Objectives:

• To understand the assessment of efforts by national programs to improve maternal and neonatal health from 1999 to 2005

Keywords: Access and Services, Policy/Policy Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation