Community-based Perinatal and Newborn Care in Gilgit District, Northern Areas, Pakistan: an AKU-AKHSP Collaboration

Summary

There is limited evidence from community-based interventions to guide the development of effective maternal, perinatal and newborn care practices and services in developing countries. Investigators planned to evaluate the impact of a low-cost package of community-based interventions implemented through government sector lady health workers (LHWs) and community health workers (CHWs) of a NGO namely Aga Khan Health Services on perinatal and neonatal outcomes in a sub-population of the remote mountainous district of Gilgit, Northern Pakistan.

A community-based package for use by LHWs and CHWs geared towards prevention and promotion of maternal and newborn health practices and services will be developed based on formative research in the study district. The package will include promotion of antenatal care, adequate nutrition, skilled delivery and healthy newborn care practices at household level. The health workers will be trained in recognition of danger sign that warrant referral to health care service. LHWs and CHWs will delivered the package via community awareness sessions and two one-to-one counselling sessions to pregnant women during third trimester and five newborn assessment visits in the neonatal period. In addition to this, community mobilization activities included formation of CHCs and creation of support for the uptake of the interventions. Control areas will continue to receive the routine standard health services of governmental and non-governmental organizations in the area. The intervention areas will receive the intervention package in addition to the routine standard health services. Outcome measures will include changes in maternal and newborn-care practices and perinatal and neonatal mortality rates between the intervention and control areas.

Conditions

• Perinatal Problems
• Still Births
• Neonatal Deaths

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Health Education & Promotion

Promotion of antenatal care, adequate nutrition, skilled delivery and healthy newborn care practices at household level.

OTHER

Training of Health Workers

Training of health workers on recognition of danger sign that warrant referral to health care service.

BEHAVIORAL

Community Mobilization

Community mobilization activities included formation of community health committees and creation of support for the uptake of the interventions.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Aga Khan Health Services

  collaborator OTHER

• Aga Khan University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Zulfiqar A Bhutta, PhD · Aga Khan University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

14 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2001-07-31

Primary Completion

2006-02-28

Completion

2007-09-30

Countries

• Pakistan

Study Locations