Correction: Equality in Maternal and Newborn Health: Modelling Geographic Disparities in Utilisation of Care in Five East African Countries

Factors Associated with Deworming Medication Utilization among Pregnant Women in Benin: Evidence from the Demographic and Health Survey

Deworming medication utilization is a useful strategy to reduce the burden of anemia among pregnant women. Yet, we know very little about the prevalence and correlates of deworming medication utilization among pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa, including Benin. To address this void in the literature, we used the 2017–2018 Benin Demographic and Health Survey and applied logistic regression analysis to explore the demographic, socioeconomic, and healthcare factors associated with deworming medication utilization in Benin. We found that deworming medication coverage was 65% at the national level. We observed that women aged 35–49 years were less likely to use deworming medication compared to those aged 15–24 years (OR = 0.79, p < 0.01). Compared to Christian women, Muslim women (OR = 0.70, p < 0.01) and women of other religions (OR = 0.51, p < 0.01) were also less likely to use deworming medication. Moreover, women with lower levels of education and household wealth, as well as unemployed women, were less likely to use deworming medication in comparison to their educated, richer, and employed counterparts. Women who visited ANC fewer than eight times were also less likely to use deworming medication compared to their counterparts who did so eight times or more (OR = 0.65, p < 0.001). Based on these findings, we discussed several implications for policymakers.

Gridded birth and pregnancy datasets for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean

Understanding the fine scale spatial distribution of births and pregnancies is crucial for informing planning decisions related to public health. This is especially important in lower income countries where infectious disease is a major concern for pregnant women and new-borns, as highlighted by the recent Zika virus epidemic. Despite this, the spatial detail of basic data on the numbers and distribution of births and pregnancies is often of a coarse resolution and difficult to obtain, with no co-ordination between countries and organisations to create one consistent set of subnational estimates. To begin to address this issue, under the framework of the WorldPop program, an open access archive of high resolution gridded birth and pregnancy distribution datasets for all African, Latin America and Caribbean countries has been created. Datasets were produced using the most recent and finest level census and official population estimate data available and are at a resolution of 30 arc seconds (approximately 1 km at the equator). All products are available through WorldPop.

Mobiliser des représentations ethnoculturelles pour expliquer les disparités d’accès aux soins de santé au Burkina Faso

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to describe how health professionals and managers put forward ethnocultural arguments to explain the partial failure of a maternal health policy and to discuss the potential impact of such ethnocultural representations on access to care.

METHODS

This was a qualitative research socio-anthropologic in nature, making use of several methods of data collection, including in-depth interviews, informal discussions, non-participant observations conducted in health facilities, and a documentary analysis. In-depth interviews were conducted with 16 health professionals and 10 health district managers. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. The study took place in Djibo district, Burkina Faso.

RESULTS

Ethnic identification, cultural practices related to childbirth (modesty, discretion, presence of women at the birth), the social status of women (low decision-making power), nomadism and social organization of population groups and their resistance to change are erected as "cultural barriers" to the maternal health policy. The widespread use of these representations by health professionals and managers contributes to the stereotyping and blaming of some social groups while hiding the structural factors that in fact have a greater influence on the use of maternal health services.

CONCLUSION

This article highlights the danger of the excessive use of ethnocultural representations based on culturalistic ideology in public health policies in conveying stereotypes of certain groups. Thus, to understand the success or the failure of health policies, it remains important to consider the quality of contact between communities and the health system; structural factors, including the capacity of households to meet the expenses of health care; and distances between villages and health centres. These elements would contribute to a better understanding of the disparities uncovered with regard to the use of health services indicators.