Infant and child mortality, morbidity, and developmental delays largely depend on the quality of feeding practices. Between 2014 and 2018, Bangladeshi NGO BRAC implemented Alive and Thrive, a program designed to improve CHW-led feeding practice education in Bangladesh. Md. Tariquujjaman and colleagues evaluated the impacts of this program on caregiver feeding practices. Quality … [Read more...] about Unintended consequences of programmatic changes to infant and young child feeding practices in Bangladesh
Maternal, Newborn and Child Health
Quality of clinical assessment and management of sick children by Health Extension Workers in four regions of Ethiopia: A cross-sectional survey
Ethiopian primary health care usage for sick children is low, possibly due to poor perceptions about the quality of care in local settings. Dawit Wolde Daka and colleagues evaluated the quality of care among health extension workers for children under-five. Health extension workers failed to adhere to Community Case management guidelines with over 80% of sick children. … [Read more...] about Quality of clinical assessment and management of sick children by Health Extension Workers in four regions of Ethiopia: A cross-sectional survey
Effect of home-based newborn care on neonatal and infant mortality: a cluster randomised trial in India
Neonatal mortality in rural areas can be reduced through home-based newborn care. Reeta Rasaily and colleagues examined the effectiveness of Shishu Rakshak (SR) and Anganwadi Workers (AWW) in India at reducing neonatal and infant mortality rates. Results indicated that risk of neonatal, early neonatal, young infant, and infant mortality decreased among SR care recipients … [Read more...] about Effect of home-based newborn care on neonatal and infant mortality: a cluster randomised trial in India
Community health workers impact on maternal and child health outcomes in rural South Africa – a non-randomized two-group comparison study
Maternal and child health outcomes improve with the implementation of CHW home-visiting in urban areas, but less is known about their effects in rural South Africa. Karl le Roux and colleagues compared a rural area with CHW to one without CHWs to determine the effectiveness of CHW home-visits on maternal and child health. CHW home visits were associated with increased … [Read more...] about Community health workers impact on maternal and child health outcomes in rural South Africa – a non-randomized two-group comparison study
Considerations for building sustainable community health worker programs to improve maternal health
Despite growing evidence of the efficacy of CHW programs to achieve universal health coverage, limited short-term program funding in the US constrains the sustainability of these programs. Renee Mehra and colleagues examined factors contributing to sustainability of CHW programs targeting maternal health. They identified three key themes influencing program sustainability: … [Read more...] about Considerations for building sustainable community health worker programs to improve maternal health