Millennium development goals (MDGs) and maternal health in Africa

Abstract

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were adopted at the 2000 Millennium Summit. Improving maternal health was one of the eight goals; Millennium Development Goals four (MDG 4) and five (MDG 5) are related to maternal and child health. The fourth goal (MDG 4) aimed at reducing child mortality by two thirds between 1990 and 2015, while the fifth goal (MDG 5) aimed to improve maternal health by reducing the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) by three quarters between the same years (WHO, Trends in maternal mortality (1990-2008). WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, and World Bank, Geneva, 2010, p. 3). However, they did not meet these promises because the essential role of information and communication was given an afterthought. The United Nations has now embarked on Sustainable Development Goals in which goal 3 aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, while goal 5 aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. To this end, the objectives of the chapter were investigation of the maternal-child health patients’ knowledge, influence of provider-patient communication, and maternal health communication strategies. The study used the setting of Busia County in Kenya and a review of available literature. Data was analyzed thematically. Findings indicate that lack of maternal-child health knowledge leads to non-utilization of skilled facility health. From the study, we conclude that appropriate communication strategies if mainstreamed in maternal health campaigns can enhance utilization of skilled facility health care, thus accelerating the achievement of MDGs 4 and 5. The study recommends that communication strategies in Africa should foster participation and strengthening of community structures to enhance attaining MDGs 4 and 5. The study was grounded in the social cognitive theory postulated by Albert Bandura. This theory posits that although environmental stimuli influence behavior, individual personal factors such as beliefs and expectations also influence behavior change.