ReviewBMC pregnancy and childbirth2016
Dirty and 40 days in the wilderness: Eliciting childbirth and postnatal cultural practices and beliefs in Nepal.
Review in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06409208 (Postnatal Care and Services Utilization in Nepal), which is not on this map. Cited by 35 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Postnatal Care and Services Utilization in Nepal: Use of mHealth Intervention in Improving Utilization of Postpartum Care
Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 82 citations in OpenAlex.
- Umbilical cord-care practices in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2017Pooled it
- Perspectives and Beliefs Surrounding Postpartum Care and Physical Activity of South Asian Immigrant Women in Canada.The Canadian journal of nursing research = Revue canadienne de recherche en sciences infirmieres · 2026Article
- Influence of cultural beliefs and practices on unassisted homebirths in Afghanistan: A qualitative exploration.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- The Need for Understanding Beliefs and Barriers Around Physical Activity Postpartum Among South Asian Immigrant Women to Improve Health Equity: A Commentary.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2025Article
- Placentophagia in Tribal and Modern Societies: Navigating the Thin Line Between Risk and Benefit.Journal of family & reproductive health · 2025Review
- The role of women's empowerment in the uptake of maternal health services in low- and middle-income countries: a propensity score-matched analysis.Journal of global health · 2025Article
- Exploring cultural influences in perinatal and early childhood nutrition.Revista de salud publica (Bogota, Colombia) · 2024Review
- Prevalence and factors associated with early postnatal care utilization among women of reproductive age in Tanzania: analysis of Tanzania demographic health survey 2015/16.The Pan African medical journal · 2024Article
- A Cross-Sectional Survey of 505 Postpartum Women to Assess Lifestyle-Related Behaviour, Barriers, and Myths Affecting Postpartum Weight Retention and Its Management.Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology of India · 2023Article
- A qualitative study to understand sociocultural beliefs around perinatal and neonatal health in rural areas of Mohali, Punjab, India.Frontiers in global women's health · 2023Article
- The Disposal of Placenta among Indigenous Groups Globally: An Integrative Literature Review.International journal of reproductive medicine · 2023Review
- Article
- Community perception of barriers and facilitators to institutional delivery care-seeking behavior in Northwest Ethiopia: a qualitative study.Reproductive health · 2022Article
- Antenatal care follow-up decreases the likelihood of cultural malpractice during childbirth and postpartum among women who gave birth in the last one-year in Gozamen district, Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2022Article
- Article
- Early Postnatal Care: Exploring Primary Caregivers' Experiences of Continuity of Care After Discharge at Selected Districts in Limpopo Province South Africa.Patient preference and adherence · 2022Article
- Universal coverage of the first antenatal care visit but poor continuity of care across the maternal and newborn health continuum among Nepalese women: analysis of levels and correlates.Globalization and health · 2021Article
- Cultural malpractices during labor/delivery and associated factors among women who had at least one history of delivery in selected Zones of Amhara region, North West Ethiopia: community based cross-sectional study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2021Article
- Intersectional (in) equities in contact coverage of maternal and newborn health services in Nepal: insights from a nationwide cross-sectional household survey.BMC public health · 2021Article
- Equity in newborn care, evidence from national surveys in low- and middle-income countries.International journal for equity in health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPregnancy and childbirth are socio-cultural events that carry varying meanings across different societies and cultures. These are often translated into social expectations of what a particular society expects women to do (or not to do) during pregnancy, birth and/or the postnatal period. This paper reports a study exploring beliefs around childbirth in Nepal, a low-income country with a largely Hindu population. The paper then sets these findings in the context of the wider global literature around issues such as periods where women are viewed as polluted (or dirty even) after childbirth.
methodsA qualitative study comprising five in-depth face-to-face interviews and 14 focus group discussions with mainly women, but also men and health service providers. The qualitative findings in Nepal were compared and contrasted with the literature on practices and cultural beliefs related to the pregnancy and childbirth period across the globe and at different times in history.
resultsThe themes that emerged from the analysis included: (a) cord cutting & placenta rituals; (b) rest & seclusion; (c) purification, naming & weaning ceremonies and (d) nutrition and breastfeeding. Physiological changes in mother and baby may underpin the various beliefs, ritual and practices in the postnatal period. These practices often mean women do not access postnatal health services.
conclusionsThe cultural practices, taboos and beliefs during pregnancy and around childbirth found in Nepal largely resonate with those reported across the globe. This paper stresses that local people's beliefs and practices offer both opportunities and barriers to health service providers. Maternity care providers need to be aware of local values, beliefs and traditions to anticipate and meet the needs of women, gain their trust and work with them.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.