Authors:

Katelyn Gau

Date Created:

Not specified

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About Paper:

This poster examines how the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) and World Health Organization (WHO) incorporated—or failed to incorporate—social determinants of health in maternal health initiatives during the 1970s, a period marked by global efforts to standardize the training for Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) to reduce maternal mortality. While these initiatives were unified efforts to address maternal health disparities, the intersection between maternal mortality and standardized care models is crucial yet remains understudied. This study examines whether local cultural contexts were effectively incorporated into the standardization of TBA training programs. | hypothesize that despite the institutional recognition of local customs and cultural practices, standardization efforts failed to effectively incorporate community-centered care into the program design. Drawing on archival records from the ICM and WHO, the study analyzes efforts to standardize TBA training and promote maternal health policies worldwide, while assessing the extent to which these international entities engaged in a two-way dialogue with local communities. Findings suggest that, although the ICM and WHO acknowledged TBAs'' local customs, practices, and beliefs, their programs largely relied on a top-down, asymmetrical approach, with limited interaction between the trainers and community members. Instead, interventions were predominantly shaped by institutional frameworks and authorities. Such results reflect anthropologist Stacy Pigg's critique that maternal health initiatives often impose assumptions about local needs, thus highlighting a need for a two-way dialogue in which community-centered methods are co-created with TBAs and their communities. SCOOSM ST TSO HCHO HSCS TOOK SS OHSS OOOOH HOCH EOHCCOOCOOCEO DPIDDIDIFIDDFIHGIIDSSFODIDHDIDODIDDDDIIDIDIDIIDOSBS

Source:

Northwestern University

Topics:

No topics listed

Co-authors:

Katelyn Gau