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Barriers to accessing maternal health care services in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh: A qualitative descriptive study of Indigenous women's experiences.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Increased maternal health care (MHC) service utilisation in Bangladesh over the past decades has contributed to improvements in maternal health outcomes nationally, yet there is little understanding of Indigenous women's experiences of accessing MHC services in Bangladesh. METHODS:Face-to-face semi-structured qualitative interviews with 21 Indigenous women (aged 15-49 years) within 36 months of delivery from three ethnic groups (Chakma, Marma and Tripura) were conducted between September 2017 and February 2018 in Khagrachhari district. Purposive sampling was used to recruit women representative of the population distribution in terms of age, ethnic community and service use experience. All interviews were conducted in Bangla language and audio-recorded with consent. Interviews were transcribed directly into English before being coded. Data were analysed thematically using a qualitative descriptive approach aided by NVivo12 software. RESULTS:Of the 21 women interviewed, 14 had accessed at least one MHC service during their last pregnancy or childbirth and were categorised as the User group. The remaining seven participants were categorised as 'Non-users' as they had not access antenatal care, facility delivery or postnatal care services. Women reported that they wanted culturally relevant, respectful, home-based and affordable care, and generally perceived formal MHC services as being only for complications and emergencies. Barriers to accessing MHC services included low levels of understanding about the importance of MHC services, concerns about service costs, limited transport and fears of intrusive practices. Experiences within health services that deterred women from accessing future MHC services included demands for unofficial payments and abusive treatment by public facility staff. CONCLUSION:Improving access to MHC services for the CHT Indigenous women requires improved understandings of cultural values, priorities and concerns. Multifaceted reform is needed at individual, community and health systems levels to offer culturally appropriate health education and flexible service delivery options.

SUBMITTER: Akter S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7419110 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Barriers to accessing maternal health care services in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh: A qualitative descriptive study of Indigenous women's experiences.

Akter Shahinoor S Davies Kate K Rich Jane Louise JL Inder Kerry Jill KJ

PloS one 20200811 8

<h4>Background</h4>Increased maternal health care (MHC) service utilisation in Bangladesh over the past decades has contributed to improvements in maternal health outcomes nationally, yet there is little understanding of Indigenous women's experiences of accessing MHC services in Bangladesh.<h4>Methods</h4>Face-to-face semi-structured qualitative interviews with 21 Indigenous women (aged 15-49 years) within 36 months of delivery from three ethnic groups (Chakma, Marma and Tripura) were conducted ...[more]

PMID: 32780774

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Project description:BackgroundPrevalence of accessing antenatal care (ANC) services among Indigenous women in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) is unknown. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of accessing ANC services by Indigenous women in the CHT and identify factors associated with knowledge of, and attendance at, ANC services.MethodsUsing a cross-sectional design three Indigenous groups in Khagrachari district, CHT, Bangladesh were surveyed between September 2017 and February 2018. Indigenous women within 36 months of delivery were asked about attending ANC services and the number who attended was used to estimate prevalence. Socio-demographic and obstetric characteristics were used to determine factors associated with knowledge and attendance using multivariable logistic regression techniques adjusted for clustering by village; results are presented as odds ratios (OR), adjusted OR, and 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsOf 494 indigenous women who met the inclusion criteria in two upazilas, 438 participated (89% response rate) in the study, 75% were aged 16-29 years. Sixty-nine percent were aware of ANC services and the prevalence of attending ANC services was 53% (n = 232, 95%CI 0.48-0.58). Half (52%; n = 121) attended private facilities. Independent factors associated with knowledge about ANC were age ?30 years (OR 2.2, 95%CI 1.1-4.6), monthly household income greater than 20,000 Bangladeshi Taka (OR 3.4, 95%CI 1.4-8.6); knowledge of pregnancy-related complications (OR 3.6, 95%CI 1.6-8.1), knowledge about nearest health facilities (OR 4.3, 95%CI 2.1-8.8); and attending secondary school or above (OR 4.8, 95%CI 2.1-11). Independent factors associated with attending ANC services were having prior knowledge of ANC benefits (OR 7.7, 95%CI 3.6-16), Indigenous women residing in Khagrachhari Sadar subdistrict (OR 6.5, 95%CI 1.7-25); and monthly household income of 20,000 Bangladeshi Taka or above (OR 2.8, 95%CI 1.1-7.4).ConclusionApproximately half of Indigenous women from Chittagong Hill Tracts Bangladesh attended ANC services at least once. Better awareness and education may improve ANC attendance for Indigenous women. Cultural factors influencing attendance need to be explored.

Project description:The proportion of Plasmodium vivax malaria among all malarias is increasing worldwide. Treatment with 8-aminoquinolines remain the only radical cure. However, 8-aminoquinolines can cause severe hemolysis in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficient patients. The population of the multi-ethnic Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) carry the highest malaria burden within Bangladesh. As in many countries the national treatment guidelines recommend 8-aminoquinoline based radical cure without routine G6PD deficiency (G6PDd) testing to guide treatment. Aim of this study was to determine the need for routine testing within a multi-ethnic population by assessing the prevalence of G6PDd among the local population. Participants from 11 ethnicities were randomly selected and malaria status was assessed by microscopy, rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). G6PD status was determined by spectrophotometry and G6PD genotyping. The adjusted male median (AMM) was defined as 100% G6PD activity, participants were categorized as G6PD deficient (<30% activity), G6PD intermediate (30% to 70% activity) or G6PD normal (>70% activity). Median G6PD activities between ethnicities were compared and the association between G6PD activity and malaria status was assessed. 1002 participants were enrolled and tested for malaria. G6PD activity was measured by spectrophotometry in 999 participants and host G6PD genotyping undertaken in 323 participants. Seven participants (0.7%) had peripheral parasitaemia detected by microscopy or RDT and 42 by PCR (4.2%). Among 106 participants (32.8%) with confirmed genotype, 99 (93.4%) had the Mahidol variant. The AMM was 7.03U/gHb with 90 (9.0%) G6PD deficient participants and 133 (13.3%) with intermediate G6PD activity. Median G6PD activity differed significantly between ethnicities (p<0.001), proportions of G6PD deficient individuals ranged from 2% to 26% but did not differ between participants with and without malaria. The high G6PDd prevalence and significant variation between ethnicities suggest routine G6PDd testing to guide 8-aminoquinoline based radical in the CHT and comparable settings.

Project description:BackgroundGlucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase-deficiency (G6PDd) is a major risk factor for primaquine-induced haemolysis. There is a need for improved point-of-care and laboratory-based G6PD diagnostics to unsure safe use of primaquine.MethodsG6PD activities of participants in a cross-sectional survey in Bangladesh were assessed using two novel quantitative assays, the modified WST-8 test and the CareStart™ G6PD Biosensor (Access Bio), The results were compared with a gold standard UV spectrophotometry assay (Randox). The handheld CareStart™ Hb instrument (Access Bio) is designed to be a companion instrument to the CareStart™ G6PD biosensor, and its performance was compared to the well-validated HemoCue™ method. All quantitative G6PD results were normalized with the HemoCue™ result.ResultsA total of 1002 individuals were enrolled. The adjusted male median (AMM) derived by spectrophotometry was 7.03 U/g Hb (interquartile range (IQR): 5.38-8.69), by WST-8 was 7.03 U/g Hb (IQR: 5.22-8.16) and by Biosensor was 8.61 U/g Hb (IQR: 6.71-10.08). The AMM between spectrophotometry and WST-8 did not differ (p = 1.0) but differed significantly between spectrophotometry and Biosensor (p<0.01). Both, WST-8 and Biosensor were correlated with spectrophotometry (rs = 0.5 and rs = 0.4, both p<0.001). The mean difference in G6PD activity was -0.12 U/g Hb (95% limit of agreement (95% LoA): -5.45 to 5.20) between spectrophotometry and WST-8 and -1.74U/g Hb (95% LoA: -7.63 to 4.23) between spectrophotometry and Biosensor. The WST-8 identified 55.1% (49/89) and the Biosensor 19.1% (17/89) of individuals with G6PD activity <30% by spectrophotometry. Areas under the ROC curve did not differ significantly for the WST-8 and Biosensor irrespective of the cut-off activity applied (all p>0.05). Sensitivity and specificity for detecting G6PD activity <30% was 0.55 (95% confidence interval (95%CI): 0.44-0.66) and 0.98 (95%CI: 0.97-0.99) respectively for the WST-8 and 0.19 (95%CI: 0.12-0.29) and 0.99 (95%CI: 0.98-0.99) respectively for the Biosensor. Hb concentrations measured by HemoCue™ and CareStart™ Hb were strongly correlated (rs = 0.8, p<0.001, mean difference = 0.09 g Hb/dL, 95% LoA: -2.15 to 2.34).ConclusionWST-8 and the CareStart™ G6PD Biosensor represent advances in G6PD diagnostics in resource poor settings, but will require further development before clinical deployment. The CareStart™ Hb instrument produced a precise measure of haemoglobin concentration.

Project description:BackgroundHow and whether health shocks, care-seeking behaviour and coping strategies are interlinked and influence households resilience to ill-health remains an under-researched subject in the context of Bangladesh. This study investigates whether and how health shocks, care-seeking processes and coping strategies interplay and impact the resilience of extremely poor adivasi (ethnic minority) households in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), Bangladesh.MethodsOur analysis draws from qualitative data collected through a range of methods (see Additional file 1). We conducted 25 in-depth interviews (IDIs) of two adivasi communities targeted by an extreme-poverty alleviation programme, 11 key informant interviews (KIIs) with project personnel (community workers, field officers, project managers), community leaders, and healthcare providers, and 9 focus group discussions (FGDs) with community members. Data triangulation was performed to further validate the data, and a thematic analysis approach was used to analyze the data.ResultsHealth shocks were a defining characteristic of households' experiences of extreme poverty in the studied region. Care-seeking behaviours are influenced by an array of cultural and economic factors. Households adopt a range of coping strategies during the treatment or care-seeking process, which are often insufficient to allow households to maintain a stable economic status. This is largely due to the fact that healthcare costs are borne by the household, primarily through out-of-pocket payments. Households meet healthcare cost by selling their means of livelihoods, borrowing cash, and marketing livestock. This process erodes their wellbeing and hinders they attempt at achieving resilience, despite their involvement in an extreme poverty-alleviation programme.ConclusionsLivelihood supports or asset-transfers alone are insufficient to improve household resilience in this context. Therefore, we argue that extreme poor households' healthcare needs should be central to the design of poverty-alleviating intervention for them to contribute to foster resilience.

Project description:IntroductionThe world is experiencing the Coronavirus pandemic and the aftermath consequences leading to lockdown and travel restrictions. The pandemic has brought a far-reaching impact on various sectors, including the economic, and health sectors. Therefore, this study analyses the possible impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the disruption - in accessing family planning measures i.e. contraception facilities; and in seeking help from women organizations for health services.MethodsThis study has used the COVID-19 health services disruption survey-2020 and data was obtained from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation. This survey was conducted in 76 countries using the smartphone-based premise data collection platform. Respondents were individual members of the general population ages 15-49 years who were identified as women. Data were collected from 12,354 respondents. Our data analysis has been done on both aggregate samples as well as region-wise samples (i.e. Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America & the Caribbean) to assess the change in levels of service delivery in both pre-COVID and post-COVID periods.ResultsDescriptive statistics results shows that two particular reasons - unable to access due to lockdown restrictions (5.4%), and fear of being infected with COVID-19 (9.7%) were reported as mostly impacting the access to contraception facilities due to lockdown restriction. Further, the logit regression using socio-economic and demographic variables suggests that geographical location (rural), and poor financial status turned out negative and significant, showing higher odds of facing difficulty than the reference category for the aggregate sample. The region-wise analysis suggests that Europe and Asia are the regions with the highest percentage of respondents reporting unavailability of services during COVID-19.ConclusionThe study concludes that pandemic-related emergencies affect the health care system, especially women-related health care services. The implication of our study indicates the requirement of a supply chain strategy for managing health care demand during emerging situations. So, the disruptions and bottlenecks in health care facilities should be addressed by various governments through appropriate policies and interventions.

Dataset Information

Barriers to accessing maternal health care services in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh: A qualitative descriptive study of Indigenous women's experiences.

Publications

Barriers to accessing maternal health care services in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh: A qualitative descriptive study of Indigenous women's experiences.

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