Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Community-Based Programs In Improving Perinatal Health Outcomes

Abstract

Background: Perinatal morbidity and mortality are still some of the significant public health issues, not to mention low-resource contexts. Outreach programs Community health worker program and maternal education Community-based programs will help achieve access to the necessary maternal and neonatal services. Objective: Community-based programs will enhance perinatal health outcomes more effectively than the standard care. Methodology: A quasi-experiment in 600 pregnant women in communities (intervention and control) was used. The intervention consisted of home visits and health education, as well as referral support. The use of data on the utilization of the ANC, institutional delivery, and neonatal outcomes through chi-square and logistic regression with a significance of p value of p < 0.05. Findings: Women with intervention attendance (greater or equal to 4 visits: 72 vs 48, p < 0.01) and delivery at the institution (80 vs 55, p < 0.01) were higher in intervention areas. A lower rate of neonatal mortality in the intervention group (2.5% vs 6.8%, p = 0.01), as well as lower low birth weight incidence (12% vs 20%, p = 0.02) was found in the intervention group. Conclusion: Community-based programs play a significant role in enhancing perinatal health outcomes and attending to healthcare. An upscaling of such interventions would help decrease maternal and neonatal mortality in underserved groups.