“It doesn’t Work Here”: Addressing Gaps Between Rural and Urban Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes to Enhance the First Thousand Days of Early Life
Abstract
This paper aims to assess the disparities between rural and urban of nutrition related maternal and neonatal outcomes, to construct the points of recommendations for policy making in Indonesia and also to determine the applicability of results in other Asia Pacific countries. Secondary analysis of data from The Indonesian DHS (IDHS), using associated indicators between a woman’s pregnancy and her child’s second birthday to assess the current condition of the gaps by comparing data from the year 2007 and 2012. Teenage pregnancy, early childhood mortality rates and perinatal mortality were respectively four times, two times and two times higher in rural than the urban setting. Antenatal care (ANC) and initial breastfeeding showed a vast improvement in both settings although the component of ANC needs optimization in rural, informed of signs of pregnancy complication in particular. Given the diverse health needs between rural and urban, these preventable disparities would persist and disturb the implementation of the first 1000 days for the next 15 years if not
specifically addressed by reinforcing policy.
Keywords: maternal health; inequalities; the first thousand days; Antenatal Care.
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