Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Controlled Clinical Trial
. 2023 Aug 14;23(1):864.
doi: 10.1186/s12913-023-09781-1.

Utilisation of ANC services before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in selected resource-poor blocks of India: role of community health workers in Swabhimaan programme area

Preeti Dhillon  1 , Sayeed Unisa  2 , Ajay Gupta  3 , Abhishek Saraswat  3 , Sulaiman Km  3 , Sarang Pedgaonkar  4
Affiliations
Controlled Clinical Trial

Utilisation of ANC services before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in selected resource-poor blocks of India: role of community health workers in Swabhimaan programme area

Preeti Dhillon et al. BMC Health Serv Res. .

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 has disrupted maternal and child health services. Community Health Workers (CHWs) supported the women by visiting pregnant women's homes and providing the MCH services as required. This study attempts to understand the role of CHW and its impact on the Ante-Natal Care (ANC) services pre-pandemic and post-Pandemic in the poor resource setting.

Methods: The Swabhimaan programme interventions were carried out in the selected blocks in the Indian States of Bihar, Odisha and Chhattisgarh with the objective to improve the nutritional status of mothers, pregnant women and adolescents living in resource-poor blocks of three selected states during 2016-2022. Cross-sectional surveys, namely pre-pandemic (2018-19) and post-pandemic (2021-22) of pregnant and mothers of under two children, utilised to fulfil the objectives of this study. These surveys are part of Swabhimaan evaluation, a community-based non-randomised controlled study.

Results: The ANC services received by women have increased over time from 2015 to 2022. Our findings confirm that the ground-level community and health systems were active during the pandemic, and the results show significant improvement. Additionally, the women supported by the CHW have substantially improved pregnancy registration, first ANC, Tetanus injection, consumption of Iron Folic Acid, Calcium and deworming tablets than those who did not. Propesnsity Score Matching analysis shows that the average treatment effect on the various ANC services of having the support of CHW is significant.

Conclusion: This study shows the vital role of CHWs in utilising various Maternal and Child Health services. Better linkage and networking of the CHWs with the community will ensure health service delivery regularly and in an emergency like a pandemic and develop resilience.

Keywords: Antenatal Care; COVID-19; Community Health Worker.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Percentage of pregnant women who received various ANC services over time
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Percentage of mothers who received various ANC services during pregnancy over time
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Percentage of Women who reported COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for not availing ANC Services. Note: a. Women who had registered for ANC registered their pregnancy late. b. Women who did not receive/ go for ANC among all women respondents. c. Women who did not receive/avail of at least one of the services (TT/IFA/Calcium or Deworming tablets) among those who had registered their pregnancy
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Massinga Loembé M, Tshangela A, Salyer SJ, Varma JK, Ouma AEO, Nkengasong JN. COVID-19 in Africa: the spread and response. Nat Med. 2020;26(7):999–1003. doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-0961-x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. WHO . COVID-19 significantly impacts health services for noncommunicable diseases. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2020.
    1. Riley T, Sully E, Ahmed Z, Biddlecom A. Estimates of the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sexual and reproductive health in low- and middle-income countries. Int Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2020;46:73–76. doi: 10.1363/46e9020. - DOI - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization . Pulse survey on continuity of essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. interim report. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2020.
    1. Ulaganeethi R, Dorairajan G, Ramaswamy G, Thekkur P, Olickal JJ, Rajkumari N, et al. "I was scared I will end up in another abortion": a mixed-methods study assessing the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown on the antenatal care of pregnant women in Puducherry. South India. Fam Pract. 2021;38(Supplement_1):i23–9. doi: 10.1093/fampra/cmab042. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types