1. Health and Health Care of Mothers and Children in a Suburban Area of Luanda, Angola
- Author
-
Erno Harzheim, Lisiane Hauser, Patrícia Barros Thomas, Miria Campos Lavor, Camila Giugliani, Antonio Carlile Holanda Lavor, João Baptista Humbwavali, Bruce Bartholow Duncan, and Maria Idalice Silva Barbosa
- Subjects
Adult ,Pediatrics ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Health (social science) ,Child Health Services ,Breastfeeding ,Psychological intervention ,Population health ,Prenatal care ,Suburban Health Services ,Health(social science) ,Young Adult ,Thinness ,Health facility ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,Health care ,Confidence Intervals ,Prevalence ,Humans ,Medicine ,Maternal Health Services ,Growth Disorders ,Qualitative Research ,Child health ,Original Paper ,Pregnancy ,Community health planning ,Primary Health Care ,business.industry ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Infant ,medicine.disease ,Malnutrition ,Angola ,Female ,Maternal health ,business ,Demography - Abstract
Population health data available in Angola are often insufficient to guide the planning of health interventions. To address this gap, the goal of the present study was to investigate the health of mothers and infants in a suburban municipality in Luanda (Cacuaco), in order to provide a baseline for future comparisons. This was a prevalence study investigating infants younger than 2 years of age and their mothers. Mothers were interviewed, and children’s height and weight were measured. Of 749 mothers interviewed, 98.5 % (95 % CI 98.2–99.1 %) had at least one prenatal visit and 51.7 % (95 % CI 47.4–56.3 %) had a health card. Most mothers with a health card had their first prenatal visit before the 20th week of pregnancy, and had at least four prenatal visits; 81.1 % (95 % CI 78.3–84.1 %) of mothers also had their child’s health card. Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months was 19 % (95 % CI 16.2–23.1 %). Prevalence of low height-for-age and low BMI-for-age were 32 and 6 %, respectively. Mothers with higher education levels were more likely to have had their first prenatal visit earlier, to have had more prenatal visits, to have given birth at a health facility, and to have her own and her child’s health cards. Results showed a high prevalence of prenatal care and a low frequency of acute malnutrition. Maternal education level, among factors studied, was the predominant correlate of more positive health behaviors. These findings suggest important progress of mother and child health in Cacuaco, and may serve as a baseline for the planning of health interventions.
- Published
- 2013