What are the effects of different models of delivery for improving maternal and infant health outcomes for poor people in urban areas in low income and lower middle income countries? 2012.
Coast, Ernestina and McDaid, et al. Department for International Development, London.
Our analyses form a convincing case that there is a need for high-quality evidence on maternal and infant interventions that specifically target the urban poor. The existing evidence base is minuscule compared to the rapidly growing and large urban poor population. Much of the existing evidence is of poor quality, with little emphasis on baselines and follow-up studies, and almost no qualitative (how? why?) evidence to complement the limited quantitative (what?) data. This small evidence base is out of step with the growing interest in urban poor people and the size of this population. Interventions supported by the review are already present in existing WHO guidelines. However, there is a need for research that specifically addresses the effectiveness of different models of service delivery, including how sub-populations (e.g., urban poor) are targeted. Although the evidence base appears limited, there are in fact a number of ways in which it might be strengthened in the short term. We suggest one way of strengthening the evidence base on the cost-effectiveness of different strategies to promote better access and use of maternal and infant health services.
