Maternal and Child Health Utilization among Slum-Dwellers in India: Role of Husbands, Mother-in-Laws, and Providers

May Sudhinaraset, University of California, San Francisco
Naomi Beyeler, University of California, San Francisco
Sandhya V. Barge, Center for Operations Research and Training (CORT)

There are an estimated one billion people living in slums today globally. Existing literature in Africa and parts of Asia suggests that slum-dwellers experience a number of adverse maternal and child health outcomes, including less access to ANC services and facility deliveries. There is little information on decision-making among women, and how families, including husbands and mothers-in-law, access care and navigate the continuum of maternal health services from antenatal care (ANC) to a facility delivery in slum areas. Through qualitative interviews and provider/facility mapping, this study seeks to examine the ways in which household decision-making influences the utilization of maternal health services in urban slums, and offers insights for points of intervention to improve maternal and neonatal health.