Reducing one million child deaths from birth asphyxia – a survey of health systems gaps and priorities
2007

Reducing Child Deaths from Birth Asphyxia

Sample size: 173 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Joy E. Lawn, Ananta Manandhar, Rachel A. Haws, Gary L. Darmstadt

Primary Institution: Saving Newborn Lives Initiative, Save the Children-US

Hypothesis

What are the health systems gaps and priorities to reduce child deaths from birth asphyxia?

Conclusion

Improving care and advancing research on birth asphyxia is crucial to prevent millions of related deaths.

Supporting Evidence

  • Birth asphyxia is the fifth largest cause of under-five child deaths.
  • National newborn survival policies exist in 74% of developing countries surveyed.
  • Respondents emphasized the need for skilled birth attendants and essential newborn care.

Takeaway

Many babies die from not getting enough air at birth, and we need to do better to help them survive.

Methodology

A questionnaire was sent to 453 policymakers and researchers, with responses collected and analyzed for effectiveness and feasibility of interventions.

Potential Biases

Self-selection bias may have influenced the high response rate from those already involved in asphyxia-related programs.

Limitations

Responses were subjective and may not represent all maternal and child health programs.

Participant Demographics

Respondents represented 32 countries, with 49% from South Asia, 27% from sub-Saharan Africa, and 16% from industrialized nations.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.05

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1478-4505-5-4

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