ArticleSSM - population health2021
The impact of community health workers on antenatal and infant health in India: A cross-sectional study.
Article in SSM - population health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- Implementation of health and health-related sustainable development goals: progress, challenges and opportunities-a systematic literature review update.BMJ global health · 2026Pooled it
- Health extension service utilization in Ethiopia: systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC health services research · 2024Pooled it
- Association of affirmative action with health and education outcomes and services in India.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Patterns of maternal and child health services utilization and associated socioeconomic disparities in sub-Saharan Africa.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Community health workers' counseling is based on a deficit model of behavior change.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- More work for ASHAs? Exploring the role of whatsapp messaging and community health work in urban slum areas of Varanasi, India.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Coexisting traditional and biomedical healthcare systems: a mixed-methods analysis of community health workers and traditional birth attendants' contributions to perinatal health behaviors in rural India.Frontiers in health services · 2025Article
- A protocol for estimating health burden posed by early life exposure to ambient fine particulate matter and its heavy metal composition: a mother-child birth (ELitE) cohort from Central India.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Integrating trauma- and violence-informed care for adolescent mothers in Rwanda: a qualitative study with community health workers.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Association between coordinated counseling from both ASHA and Anganwadi Workers and maternal health outcomes: A cross-sectional study from Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, India.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- Association between the use of Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) services and uptake of institutional deliveries in India.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- Factors affecting pregnancy registration in India: does the pregnancy intention matter?BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2023Article
- Estimating funds required for UHC within Indian States.The Lancet regional health. Southeast Asia · 2023Article
- Evolution of community health workers: the fourth stage.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- A community health worker-led program to improve access to gestational diabetes screening in urban slums of Pune, India: Results from a mixed methods study.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- Maternal human capital and infants' health outcomes: Evidence from minimum dropout age policies in the US.SSM - population health · 2022Article
- Is respectful care provided by community health workers associated with infant feeding practices? A cross sectional analysis from India.BMC health services research · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCommunity health workers (CHWs) are central to India's strategy for reaching the Sustainable Development Goals around maternal and child health. Despite India's significant investment in these programs, few studies have analyzed the effect of CHWs across India.
objectiveThis study aims to analyze multiple types of CHWs and their impact on a broad range of antenatal and infant health outcomes across India.
methodsIn this population-based cross-sectional study, we analyzed data of women interviewed by the most recent 2015-2016 National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4) in India. This study performed multiple variable regressions to examine the effect of receiving ANC during pregnancy from 1) any CHW and 2) by specific type of CHW - Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA), Anganwadi Worker (AWW), and Community/Village Health Worker (defined in Table 1) on antenatal and infant health outcomes.
resultsOf 166,498 women, 14.2% received ANC from any CHW with specifically 5.9% receiving from ASHAs, 10.2% receiving from AWWs, and 0.5% receiving from Community/Village Health Workers. Women who received ANC from an ASHA had increased ANC utilization (OR 1.77; 95% CI 1.65, 1.91) as well as quality (IRR 1.06; 95% CI 1.05, 1.08), increased early initiation of breast feeding (OR 1.20; 95% CI 1.12, 1.29), and decreased one-year mortality (OR 0.75; 95% CI 0.63, 0.88). Women who received ANC from an AWW had increased ANC utilization (OR 2.24; 95% CI 2.12, 2.37) as well as quality (IRR 1.07, 95% CI 1.06, 1.08) and increased early initiation of breast feeding (OR 1.30; 95% CI 1.26, 1.40).
conclusionReceiving ANC from ASHAs and AWWs is associated with improved ANC utilization, ANC quality, early initiation of breastfeeding and the key outcome of reduced infant mortality.
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