Access to Maternal Health Services in Eastern Burma
Author Information
Author(s): Luke C. Mullany, Catherine I. Lee, Lin Yone, Paw Palae, Oo Eh Kalu Shwe, Cynthia Maung, Thomas J. Lee, Chris Beyrer
Primary Institution: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Hypothesis
What is the coverage of maternal health services and the impact of human rights violations on access to these services in eastern Burma?
Conclusion
Access to essential maternal health interventions is extremely limited in eastern Burma, with significant associations between human rights violations and reduced access to care.
Supporting Evidence
- 88% of women reported a home delivery for their last pregnancy.
- Only 5.1% of births were attended by skilled personnel.
- Over 60% of women had hemoglobin levels ≤ 11.0 g/dl.
- Unmet need for contraceptives exceeded 60%.
- 32.1% of Karenni households reported forced labor.
Takeaway
In eastern Burma, many women can't get the help they need during pregnancy and childbirth, and bad things happening to them make it even harder to get care.
Methodology
The study used two-stage cluster sampling surveys among ever-married women of reproductive age to estimate coverage of maternal health services and assess exposure to human rights violations.
Potential Biases
Potential biases include selection bias from the communities chosen for the study and unmeasured confounders affecting access to health services.
Limitations
The results may not be representative of the broader population in eastern Burma due to the selection of communities with some existing health services.
Participant Demographics
The sample included 2,914 ever-married women of reproductive age, primarily from ethnic Karen, Karenni, Mon, and Shan communities.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
95% CI 0.95–2.40
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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