Kangaroo Mother Care
Location
Gopalgonj District, Bangladesh
Background
This pilot in Gopalgonj district, Bangladesh is studying the use of kangaroo mother care in rural communities.
Study Objectives
- Understand newborn care practices and decision-making about newborn care in rural Bangladesh
- Gather reactions of community members and stakeholders to kangaroo mother care
- Gather suggestions for designing a community-based program promoting kangaroo mother care
Key Facts
- Low birth weight and preterm babies contribute to the vast majority of newborn deaths and are at much higher risk of developing asphyxia, infection and hypothermia
- Community-based newborn care interventions have focused on essential newborn care, resuscitation of asphyxiated babies and identification and management of newborn infections
- Kangaroo mother care is a low-cost and low-technology intervention that has been proven as safe and effective as conventional care among low birth weight newborns in hospital settings
- Evidence is needed to demonstrate that this kind of care can be effectively delivered at the community level
Study Partners
- ICDDR,B
- Center for Sustainable Development and Research
Funding
- Center for Global Health, Johns Hopkins University