Every fourth baby in the world is born preterm, small for gestational age, or with low birth weight. These small vulnerable newborns (SVN) account for 55% of neonatal mortality worldwide. Antenatal care (ANC) offers a platform to prevent health problems of mother-baby dyads.
In a study conducted at Lungwena health center, we will determine if early enrollment to antenatal care offering evidence-based services is efficient in reducing maternal health problems and adverse birth outcomes. We will conduct the study in a resource-poor rural African ANC clinic, thus making the results somewhat generalizable to other similar settings.
The study consists of three phases:
- Baseline, during which we will collect information on pregnancy outcomes using the current standard of care.
- During the baseline data collection, we will develop with stakeholders an intervention package to improve the services.
- Collecting maternal and birth data when the improving interventions are implemented.
The study will be implemented in collaboration with Global Health Group at Tampere University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology and School of Global and Public Health, Malawi University of Health Sciences.
