A Cross-Sectional Study of Community-Based Maternal and Child Health Interventions Involving Women's Health Volunteer Groups in Rural Myanmar.

OBJECTIVE: This study identified the relationship between interventions with women's health volunteer groups in two Myanmar villages and maternal and child health outcomes.

DESIGN AND SAMPLE: This cross-sectional study included 188 women aged 15-49 years old with at least one ≤5-year-old child. The women were randomly selected from two control and two experimental villages.

MEASURES: Data were collected via structured interview with a questionnaire based on the UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey.

RESULTS: Logistic regression analyses confirmed that women's health volunteer group intervention was related to the participants' receiving any antenatal care (OR: 6.99, p < .01) and having knowledge regarding danger signs during the perinatal period (OR: 15.08, p < .001), modern contraceptive methods (OR: 44.52, p < .001), acceptable first aid (OR: 14.04, p < .001), and malaria prevention (OR: 40.30, p < .001). A skilled midwife had the most significant relationship with patients' receiving any antenatal care (OR: 65.18, p < .001). Distance from urban area negatively related to appropriate disposal of the child's stool (i.e., flushed in a latrine; OR: 7.51, p < .05).

CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that women's health volunteer groups may positively affect the diffusion of the need to seek antenatal care and health knowledge in rural Myanmar. The importance of skilled midwives is also highlighted, especially in resource-limited settings.