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Reproductive Health and Wellness

Exploring community support on safe motherhood: A case of Lilongwe District, Malawi

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Background: Malawi is grappling with a high maternal mortality of 439 per 100 000 live births.
It is estimated that 80% of maternal deaths can be prevented by actively engaging the
community in the country. However, community support on safe motherhood remains
unknown.

Aim: This study, therefore, explored community support rendered to mothers and babies
during antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum periods.

Setting: This study was conducted in the Lilongwe District, Malawi.

Methods: This was a qualitative study that collected data from 30 village health committee
members through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results: This study found that community support on safe motherhood rendered to women
varied. The following five themes emerged from FGDs data on community support on safe
motherhood: antenatal support, intrapartum support, postpartum support, bylaws reinforced
by chiefs in the community and safe motherhood support groups. Community members
encourage pregnant women to attend antenatal care, escorted pregnant women to the hospital
for delivery and assisted women to care for a child and go for postpartum checkups.
Community bylaws were considered as a necessary tool for encouraging women to attend
antenatal care, deliver at the health facility and attend postpartum checkups.

Conclusion: This study suggests that community members play a crucial role in providing
support to women and newborns during antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum periods.

Detail Information
Publication Information
: African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine.,
Number of Pages
7
ISBN
-
Language
English
ISSN
-
Subject(s)
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Description
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Citation
Other Information
Type
Article
Part Of Series
-
DOI Identifier
https://doi.org/10.4102/phcfm.v13i1.2907
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