73. Improving Postpartum Care Among Low Parity Mothers in Palestine Center for Development in Primary Health Care (CDPHC). Al Quds University May 2003, 35 pages.   

The study target is to improve postpartum care among low parity Palestinian women. 257 women completed the study (112 cases and 145 controls), the selected population was assigned randomly to cases vs. controls.  Community health workers visited the participants at their homes 2-3 days after delivery and 30-38 days after delivery.  In those visits CHW informed the target population about the health benefits and importance about visiting Child and Maternal health Clinic after delivery.  Results of the study indicated that less than two thirds of cases and control use family planning methods or have improved knowledge and attitudes toward them (65.2% cases and 63.4%).  Logistic regression analysis indicated that the moist predictive indicator of the use of contraceptive after six months of delivery were: husband secondary education or above (B=0.64, P<0.05), husband positive attitude for family planning (B=0.39, P<0.05), and continued breastfeeding (B=1.14, P<0.001).  A second visit by CHW as associated with an increased likelihood of mother visiting CMH clinic at day 40 after delivery (49.1% cases vs. 35.6 controls; P<0.05).  The second visit also indicated an increased husband encouragement to their wives to visit the CMH clinic at day 40  (51% cases vs. 29% controls; P<0.05).  There was no improvement in knowledge about health of benefits of child immunization, breastfeeding, or weaning.  There was no apparent difference seen in intervention groups visits to CMH clinics (mean visits for cases 3.2 vs. 3.6 for control; P<0.05).  Knowledge about the Pap Smear test was the same in both groups 52.7% in the cases group vs. 61.6% in the control group, more mothers in the control knew how to conduct a breast self exam (64.3%) while only 46.5% of mother in the cases group knew that (P<0.05).  The results that indicate differing outcomes could be due to other intervention program in the field of reproductive help that target the population involved in the study (i.e. the better knowledge of the control could be attributed to the fact that they were involved in other intervention studies by UNRWA, MOH or others).