The Southern Sudan Maternal and Child Health Transformation (MaCHT) Project Operational Research Baseline Report July 2013

The project is part of the Government of South Sudan's efforts to address gaps in health services coverage and its consequences on health outcomes. The Basic Package of Health and Nutrition Services For Southern Sudan, developed in January 2009, emphasizes the importance of a newly approved cadre of community health providers, known as Home Health Promoters (HHPs). The study population consisted of mothers of children under age 2, including newborns, from four specific locations in Warrap State. A total of 511 respondents were included in the survey. The majority of respondents were mothers of children under age 1, with 75 percent of the children included in the study being under age 1. The average age of respondents was 29.57 years old, with a median of 30 years. The majority of respondents reported not having any schooling, with 96 percent of respondents indicating no schooling. The results of the survey indicate that one third of respondents reported receiving health advice at least once during pregnancy from a health provider. The remaining 70 percent received health advice from community providers, friends, or family members. The majority of respondents reported not working outside the home, with 95 percent indicating no employment. Of those working outside the home, selling food and brewing homemade alcohol were the most common professions. The survey also collected data on child demographics, including child's age and sex. The results indicate that 7 percent of children under 1 year old were neonates (birth to 1 month). Child's sex was fairly even, with 55 percent of households having a male child. The majority of households were two-parent households, with 91 percent of households reporting two parents. The data analysis consisted of the production of descriptive statistics for each variable included in the survey. The results of the analysis will inform the evaluative phase of the project, which aims to determine whether children covered by HHPs using the iCCM Plus protocol show improvement on selected health indicators. The MaCHT Project is being implemented in Gogrial East and West counties of Warrap State, with funding from USAID. The project includes operational research related to the integration of newborn interventions into an iCCM approach. The project aims to reduce maternal, neonatal, infant, and child mortality in the target areas. The study population was selected through a two-stage stratified and weighted random sampling process. The first stage involved the selection of bomas (villages) from four payams (Kuac North, Kuac South, Pathun East, and Pathun West). The second stage involved the random selection of 17 households from each boma. Data collection was conducted for two weeks during February 2013, with respondents being given a structured household-level survey by local staff. The data collected were coded and entered into Excel, and then entered into SPSS Statistical Analysis software. Data analysis was conducted in two steps, with the first step consisting of the production of descriptive statistics for each variable included in the survey. The second step included the calculation of p values, confidence intervals, and odds ratios. The results of the study will inform the implementation of the MaCHT Project and the evaluation of its effectiveness in reducing maternal, neonatal, infant, and child mortality in the target areas. The project aims to improve health outcomes in Warrap State, South Sudan, by increasing access to health services and improving the quality of care provided to mothers and children.