Authors: Linnea Stansert Katzen, Mark Tomlinson, Joan Christodoulou, Christina Laurenzi, Ingrid le Roux, Venetia Baker, Nokwanele Mbewu, Karl W. le Roux and Mary Jane Rotheram Borus
Generalist CHWs were integrated into the South African health care system in 2011 to support limited availability of primary health care providers. Areas particularly needing support included rural communities struggling to address maternal and child health needs. Linnea Stansert Katzen and her colleagues followed 313 mothers in two rural South African areas over the course of two years to determine whether CHWs were effective at supporting clients’ maternal and child health service needs. Compared to those without support, mothers visited by CHWs were more likely to attend antenatal care visits, but children of mothers with and without CHW support experienced similar development over the two year study period.
Link: Home visits by community health workers in rural South Africa have a limited, but important impact on maternal and child health in the first two years of life
Resource Topic: CHW Role, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health
Resource Type: Research
Year: 2020
Region: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
Country: South Africa
Publisher May Restrict Access: No