Role of family support and women's knowledge on pregnancy-related risks in adherence to maternal iron-folic acid supplementation in Indonesia.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether women's knowledge of pregnancy-related risks and family support received during pregnancy are associated with adherence to maternal iron-folic acid (IFA) supplementation. DESIGN: Secondary data analysis of the 2002-03, 2007 and 2012 Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey. Analysis of the association between factors associated with adherence (consuming ≥90 IFA tablets), including the women's knowledge and family support, was performed using multivariate logistic regression. SETTING: National household survey. SUBJECTS: Women (n 19 133) who had given birth within 2 years prior to the interview date. RESULTS: Knowledge of pregnancy-related risks was associated with increased adherence to IFA supplementation (adjusted OR=1·8; 95 % CI 1·6, 2·0), as was full family (particularly husband's) support (adjusted OR=1·9; 95 % CI 1·6, 2·3). Adequate antenatal care (ANC) visits (i.e. four or more) was associated with increased adherence (adjusted OR=2·2; 95 % CI 2·0, 2·4). However, ANC providers missed opportunities to distribute tablets and information, as among women with adequate ANC visits, 15 % reported never having received/bought any IFA tablets and 30 % had no knowledge of pregnancy-related risks. A significant interaction was observed between family support and the women's educational level in predicting adherence. Family support significantly increased the adherence among women with <9 years of education. CONCLUSIONS: Improving women's knowledge of pregnancy-related risks and involving family members, particularly the husband and importantly for less-educated women, improved adherence to IFA supplementation. ANC visit opportunities must be optimized to provide women with sufficient numbers of IFA tablets along with health information (especially on pregnancy-related risks) and partner support counselling.

Maternal agency influences the prevalence of diarrhea and acute respiratory tract infections among young Indonesian children.

To examine the relationship between measures of mother's caretaking, practice and individual agency on acute diarrhea and respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) of Indonesian children. Using population-based household data from the Indonesian Demographic Health Surveys for 2002-2003 (n = 9,151 children) and 2007 (n = 9,714 children), we selected 28 indicators related to mother' caretaking, and applied principal component analysis to derive indices for access to care, practice and experience, and agency. The association between index quartiles (level 1-4) and the prevalence of diarrhea and ARTIs in the youngest child <5 years of age was assessed with multivariate logistic regression adjusting for socioeconomic status, residence type, mother's age and education, family size, child's age and sex, immunization status and received vitamin A supplementation. Moderate levels (level 3) of practice and experience were associated with decreased diarrheal risk (adjusted OR 0.86, 95 % CI 0.75-0.98), but not for ARTIs. Children of mothers with higher levels (level 4) of agency were protected against both diarrhea (adjusted OR 0.68, 95 % CI 0.60-0.77) and ARTIs (adjusted OR 0.77, 95 % CI 0.66-0.91). Stratified analyses with child's age and mother's education, and tests of interaction, showed that agency had a stronger effect on diarrhea and ARTIs prevalence in children <2 years of age. Maternal caretaking, especially agency, is strongly associated with lower prevalence of diarrhea and ARTIs in younger children. Interventions specifically designed to promote maternal autonomy and decision-making may lead to improved child health.

Country experience with strengthening of health systems and deployment of midwives in countries with high maternal mortality.

This paper complements the other papers in the Lancet Series on midwifery by documenting the experience of low-income and middle-income countries that deployed midwives as one of the core constituents of their strategy to improve maternal and newborn health. It examines the constellation of various diverse health-system strengthening interventions deployed by Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Morocco, among which the scaling up of the pre-service education of midwives was only one element. Efforts in health system strengthening in these countries have been characterised by: expansion of the network of health facilities with increased uptake of facility birthing, scaling up of the production of midwives, reduction of financial barriers, and late attention for improving the quality of care. Overmedicalisation and respectful woman-centred care have received little or no attention.

Expert meeting on Child Growth and Micronutrient Deficiencies--New Initiatives for Developing Countries to Achieve Millennium Development Goals: executive summary report.

Undernutrition in early childhood has long-term physical and intellectual consequences. Improving child growth should start before the age of two years and be an integrated effort between all sectors, covering all aspects such as diet and nutrient intake, disease reduction, optimum child care, and improved environmental sanitation. To discuss these issues, the Indonesian Danone Institute Foundation organized an expert meeting on Child Growth and Micronutrient Deficiencies: New Initiatives for Developing Countries to Achieve Millennium Development Goals. The objective of the meeting was to have a retrospective view on child growth: lessons learned from programs to overcome under-nutrition in the developed countries and to relate the situation to the Indonesian context, as well as to discuss implications for future programs. Recommendations derived from the meeting include focus intervention on the window of opportunity group, re-activation of the Integrated Health Post at the village level, improvement of infant and young child feeding, expand food fortification intervention programs, strengthen supplementation programs with multi-micronutrient, and strengthening public and private partnership on food related programs.

Assessing quality of care provided by Indonesian village midwives with a confidential enquiry.

OBJECTIVE: to conduct a confidential enquiry to assess the quality of care provided by Indonesian village midwives and to identify opportunities for improvement. METHODS: local health-care practitioners assessed village-based care in obstetric emergencies in 13 cases of maternal death and near-miss from rural villages in West Java. The study focused on clinical quality of care, but also investigated the influence of the health system and social factors. The reviews were based on transcripts of interviews with health-care providers, family and community members involved in the cases. Both favourable and adverse factors were identified in order to recognise positive contributions, where they occurred. At the end of a series of case reviews, recommendations for practice were generated and disseminated. FINDINGS: in the cases reviewed, midwives facilitated referral effectively, reducing delays in reaching health facilities. Midwives' emergency diagnostic skills were accurate but they were less capable in the clinical management of complications. Coverage was poor; in some locations, midwives were responsible for up to five villages. Village midwives were also perceived as unacceptable to women and their families. Families and communities did not prepare for emergencies with finances or transport, partly due to a poorly understood health insurance system. The enquiry had learning effects for those involved. KEY CONCLUSIONS: village midwives should: receive appropriate support for the management of obstetric emergencies; engage with communities to promote birth preparedness; and work in partnership with formal and informal providers in the community. The enquiry was a diagnostic tool to identify opportunities for improving care. Practitioners had a unique insight into factors that contribute to quality care and how feasible interventions might be made.

Midwifery provision in two districts in Indonesia: how well are rural areas served?

Attention has focused recently on the importance of adequate and equitable provision of health personnel to raise levels of skilled attendance at delivery and thereby reduce maternal mortality. Indonesia has a village-based midwife programme that was intended to increase the rate of professional delivery care and redress the urban/rural imbalance in service provision by posting a trained midwife in every village in the country. We present findings on the distribution of midwifery provision in our study area: 10% of villages do not have a midwife but a nurse as a midwifery provider; there is a deficit in midwife density in remote villages compared with urban areas; those assigned to remote areas are less experienced; midwives manage few births and this may compromise their capacity to maintain professional skills; over 90% of non-hospital deliveries take place in the woman's (64%) or the midwife's (28%) home; three-quarters of midwives did not make regular use of the fee exemption scheme; midwives who live in their assigned village spend more days per month on clinical work there. We conclude that adequate provider density is an important factor in effective health care and that efforts should be made to redress the imbalance in provision, but that this can only contribute to reducing maternal mortality in the context of a supportive professional environment and timely access to emergency obstetric care.

Midwifery provision and uptake of maternity care in Indonesia.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between midwife density, other characteristics of midwifery provision and village contextual factors, and the percentage of births attended by a health professional and deliveries via caesarean section in two districts in West Java, Indonesia. METHODS: Analysis of: (i) a census of midwives; (ii) a population-based survey of women who had delivered over a 2-year period; (iii) a census of all caesareans in the four hospitals serving the two districts; and (iv) data from National Statistical Office. RESULTS: At an average density of 2.2 midwives per 10 000 population, 33% of births are with a health professional, and 1% by caesarean section. Having at least six midwives per 10 000 population was associated with a fourfold increase in caesareans [adjusted risk ratio (RR) 4.3: 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.3-5.5] and a threefold increase in the odds of having a health professional attend the delivery [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 2.88: 95% CI: 0.96-8.70]. The assigned midwife's professional status and the duration of her service in the village were also associated with higher rates of health professionals' attendance of delivery and caesareans. Regardless of the provision of services, women's education and wealth were strong predictors of delivery with a health professional. CONCLUSIONS: Promoting a stable workforce of midwives, better financial access for the poor and expanding female education are important for the achievement of the fifth Millennium Development Goal (MDG-5).

Did the strategy of skilled attendance at birth reach the poor in Indonesia?

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether the strategy of "a midwife in every village" in Indonesia achieved its aim of increasing professional delivery care for the poorest women. METHODS: Using pooled Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data from 1986-2002, we examined trends in the percentage of births attended by a health professional and deliveries via caesarean section. We tested for effects of the economic crisis of 1997, which had a negative impact on Indonesias health system. We used logistic regression, allowing for time-trend interactions with wealth quintile and urban/rural residence. FINDINGS: There was no change in rates of professional attendance or caesarean section before the programmes full implementation (1986-1991). After 1991, the greatest increases in professional attendance occurred among the poorest two quintiles -- 11% per year compared with 6% per year for women in the middle quintile (P = 0.02). These patterns persisted after the economic crisis had ended. In contrast, most of the increase in rates of caesarean section occurred among women in the wealthiest quintile. Rates of caesarean deliveries remained at less than 1% for the poorest two-fifths of the population, but rose to 10% for the wealthiest fifth. CONCLUSION: The Indonesian village midwife programme dramatically reduced socioeconomic inequalities in professional attendance at birth, but the gap in access to potentially life-saving emergency obstetric care widened. This underscores the importance of understanding the barriers to accessing emergency obstetric care and of the ways to overcome them, especially among the poor.

Going to scale with professional skilled care.

Because most women prefer professionally provided maternity care when they have access to it, and since the needed clinical interventions are well known, we discuss in their paper what is needed to move forward from apparent global stagnation in provision and use of maternal health care where maternal mortality is high. The main obstacles to the expansion of care are the dire scarcity of skilled providers and health-system infrastructure, substandard quality of care, and women's reluctance to use maternity care where there are high costs and poorly attuned services. To increase the supply of professional skilled birthing care, strategic decisions must be made in three areas: training, deployment, and retention of health workers. Based on results from simulations, teams of midwives and midwife assistants working in facilities could increase coverage of maternity care by up to 40% by 2015. Teams of providers are the efficient option, creating the possibility of scaling up as much as 10 times more quickly than would be the case with deployment of solo health workers in home deliveries with dedicated or multipurpose workers.

Anaemia and iron deficiency anaemia among young adolescent girls from the peri urban coastal area of Indonesia.

Anaemia due to iron deficiency is still a widespread problem. Among adolescent girls, it will bring negative consequences on growth, school performance, morbidity and reproductive performance. This cross sectional study aimed to identify the different nutritional and iron status characteristics of young adolescent girls 10-12 years old with iron deficiency anaemia and anaemia without iron deficiency in the rural coastal area of Indonesia. Anaemic girls (N =133) were recruited out of 1358 girls from 34 elementary schools. Haemoglobin, serum ferritin, serum transferrin receptor and zinc protophorphyrin were determined for iron status, whilst weight and height were measured for their nutritional status. General characteristics and dietary intake were assessed through interview. Out of 133 anaemic subjects, 29 (21.8%) suffered from iron deficiency anaemia, which was not significantly related to age and menarche. About 50% were underweight and stunted indicating the presence of acute and chronic malnutrition. The proportion of thinness was significantly higher (P < 0.05) among subjects who suffered from iron deficiency anaemia (51.7% vs. 29.8%). Furthermore, thin subjects had a 5 fold higher risk of suffering from iron deficiency anaemia (P< 0.05) than non-thin subjects (OR: 5.1; 95%CI 1.34-19.00). Further study was recommended to explore other factors associated with anaemia and iron deficiency anaemia, such as the thalassemia trait and vitamin A deficiency. The current iron-folate supplementation program for pregnant women should be expanded to adolescent girls.

Current strategies for the reduction of maternal mortality.

The purpose of this article is to review current strategies for the reduction of maternal mortality and the evidence pertinent to these strategies. Historical, contextual and current literature were examined to identify the evidence base upon which recommendations on current strategies to reduce maternal mortality are made. Current safe motherhood strategies are designed based mostly on low grade evidence which is historical and observational, as well as on experience and a process of deductive reasoning. Safe motherhood strategies are complex public health approaches which are different from single clinical interventions. The approach to evidence used for clinical decision making needs to be reconsidered to fit with the practicalities of research on the effectiveness of strategies at the population level. It is unlikely that any single strategy will be optimal for different situations. Strengthening of the knowledge base on the effectiveness of public health strategies to reduce maternal mortality is urgently required but will need concerted action and international commitment.

Women's perceptions of iron deficiency and anemia prevention and control in eight developing countries.

The World Health Organization estimates that 58% of pregnant women in developing countries are anemic. In spite of the fact that most ministries of health in developing countries have policies to provide pregnant women with iron in a supplement form, maternal anemia prevalence has not declined significantly where large-scale programs have been evaluated. During the period 1991-98, the MotherCare Project and its partners conducted qualitative research to determine the major barriers and facilitators of iron supplementation programs for pregnant women in eight developing countries. Research results were used to develop pilot program strategies and interventions to reduce maternal anemia. Across-region results were examined and some differences were found but the similarity in the way women view anemia and react to taking iron tablets was more striking than differences encountered by region, country or ethnic group. While women frequently recognize symptoms of anemia, they do not know the clinical term for anemia. Half of women in all countries consider these symptoms to be a priority health concern that requires action and half do not. Those women who visit prenatal health services are often familiar with iron supplements, but commonly do not know why they are prescribed. Contrary to the belief that women stop taking iron tablets mainly due to negative side effects, only about one-third of women reported that they experienced negative side effects in these studies. During iron supplementation trials in five of the countries, only about one-tenth of the women stopped taking the tablets due to side effects. The major barrier to effective supplementation programs is inadequate supply. Additional barriers include inadequate counseling and distribution of iron tablets, difficult access and poor utilization of prenatal health care services, beliefs against consuming medications during pregnancy, and in most countries, fears that taking too much iron may cause too much blood or a big baby, making delivery more difficult. Facilitators include women's recognition of improved physical well being with the alleviation of symptoms of anemia, particularly fatigue, a better appetite, increased appreciation of benefits for the fetus, and subsequent increased demand for prevention and treatment of iron deficiency and anemia.

An economic analysis of midwifery training programmes in South Kalimantan, Indonesia.

In order to improve the knowledge and skills of midwives at health facilities and those based in villages in South Kalimantan, Indonesia, three in-service training programmes were carried out during 1995-98. A scheme used for both facility and village midwives included training at training centres, peer review and continuing education. One restricted to village midwives involved an internship programme in district hospitals. The incremental cost-effectiveness of these programmes was assessed from the standpoint of the health care provider. It was estimated that the first scheme could be expanded to increase the number of competent midwives based in facilities and villages in South Kalimantan by 1% at incremental costs of US$ 764.6 and US$ 1175.7 respectively, and that replication beyond South Kalimantan could increase the number of competent midwives based in facilities and villages by 1% at incremental costs of US$ 1225.5 and US$ 1786.4 per midwife respectively. It was also estimated that the number of competent village midwives could be increased by 1% at an incremental cost of US$ 898.1 per intern if replicated elsewhere, and at a cost of US$ 146.2 per intern for expanding the scheme in South Kalimantan. It was not clear whether the training programmes were more or less cost-effective than other safe motherhood interventions because the nature of the outcome measures hindered comparison.