304747
Saving Mothers, Giving Life Birth Plan: A Cost-Effective Option for Reducing Maternal Mortality
Purpose: The USAID-funded Communications Support for Health (CSH) project assessed the effectiveness of demand-creation activities in Zambia to determine the need for improvement and scalability.
Methods: CSH used a multi-pronged, mixed methods approach. Operations research included in-depth interviews with 54 target audience members and local implementers. An evaluation included a rapid household survey with 152 pregnant women and mothers to measure their exposure, perception, and perceived impact of SMGL. The evaluation also included in-depth interviews with 23 “Change Champions.”
Results: The operations research and evaluation discovered the birth plan to be a potentially high-impact, low-cost, scalable option. The evaluation revealed that the birth plan received a high rate of exposure (71%), recall of messages (34–54%), reported use (82%), and positive perceptions (82%). The operations research also demonstrated that the birth plan was highly useful and accepted. The research underscored the need for consistent training and collaboration among local stakeholders to support effective implementation of the birth plan.
Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practiceImplementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Discuss the effectiveness of a potentially low-cost, high-impact intervention for reducing maternal mortality in Zambia.
Explore the role of interpersonal communications in changing maternal and child health behaviors.
Keyword(s): Maternal and Child Health, Community-Based Partnership & Collaboration
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I'm the Deputy Project Manager of the CSH project, and one of the primary researchers on this study.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.