Combination of Interventions Needed to Improve Maternal Healthcare Utilization: A Multinomial Analysis of the Inequity in Place of Childbirth in Afghanistan.

Giving birth with a skilled birth attendant at a facility that provides emergency obstetric care services has better outcomes, but many women do not have access to these services in low- and middle-income countries. Individual, household, and societal factors influence women's decisions about place of birth. Factors influencing birthplace preference by type of provider and level of public facility are not well understood.

Effects of Training Health Workers in Integrated Management of Childhood Illness on Quality of Care for Under-5 Children in Primary Healthcare Facilities in Afghanistan.

Background: Training courses in integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI) have been conducted for health workers for nearly one and half decades in Afghanistan. The objective of the training courses is to improve quality of care in terms of health workers communication skills and clinical performance when they provide health services for under-5 children in public healthcare facilities. This paper presents our findings on the effects of IMCI training courses on quality of care in public primary healthcare facilities in Afghanistan.

Coming of Age in the Shadow of the Taliban: Adolescents' and Parents' Views Toward Interpersonal Violence and Harmful Traditional Practices in Afghanistan.

Objectives: To understand Afghan adolescents' and parents' attitudes toward interpersonal violence.

Methods: We used a 2-stage sampling method in 6 provinces during 2016; we included 916 adolescents aged 12 to 15 years and 454 parents.

Results: In the abstract, a minority of adolescents or parents endorsed violence; however, specific situations justified most violence (e.

Evaluating the use of locally-based health facility assessments in Afghanistan: a pilot study of a novel research method.

Background: Through the Balanced Scorecard program there have been independent, annual and nationwide assessments of the Afghan health system from 2004 to 2013. During this period, Afghanistan remained in a dynamic state of conflict, requiring innovative approaches to health service evaluation in insecure areas. The primary objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the reliability of health facility assessments conducted by a novel, locally-based data collection method compared to a standard survey team.

Barriers to appropriate care for mothers and infants during the perinatal period in rural Afghanistan: a qualitative assessment.

This study, conducted in five rural districts in Afghanistan, used qualitative methods to explore traditional practices of women, families and communities related to maternal and newborn care, and sociocultural and health system issues that create access barriers. The traditional practices discussed include delayed bathing of mothers and delayed breastfeeding of infants, seclusion of women after childbirth, restricted maternal diet, and use of traditional home remedies and self-medication instead of care in health facilities to treat maternal and newborn conditions. This study also looked at community support structures, transportation and care-seeking behaviour for maternal and newborn problems which create access barriers.