Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37993159›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2023

Qualitative exploration of the constraints on mothers' and pregnant women's ability to turn available services into nutrition benefits in a low-resource urban setting, South Africa.

Agnes Erzse, Chris Desmond, Karen Hofman, Mary Barker, Nicola Joan Christofides

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 37% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Agnes ErzseSAMRC/Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science-PRICELESS SA, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa agnes.erzse@wits.ac.za.ORCID 0000-0001-9303-9323
Chris DesmondSAMRC/Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science-PRICELESS SA, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Karen HofmanSAMRC/Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science-PRICELESS SA, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Mary BarkerSchool of Health Sciences, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Nicola Joan ChristofidesSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
South African Medical Research Council · ZAMRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit · GBUniversity of the Witwatersrand · ZA

Funding

Medical Research Council MC_PC_MR/R018545/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesDespite free primary healthcare services and social protection system for mothers and children, significant nutrition inequalities occur across the globe, including in South Africa. This study aimed to explore what determines mothers' ability to access and turn available services into nutrition benefits.

designAn exploratory qualitative study was conducted including semistructured interviews with employees from community-based organisations and focus groups with pregnant women and mothers. Discussions focused on existing services perceived as important to nutrition, differences in mothers' ability to benefit from these services, and the underlying unmet needs contributing to these disparities. Data were analysed thematically using a novel social needs framework developed for this study where social needs are defined as the requisites that can magnify (if unmet) or reduce (if met) variation in the degree to which individuals can benefit from existing services.

settingA resource-constrained urban township, Soweto in Johannesburg.

participantsThirty mothers of infants (<1 year old) and 21 pregnant women attending 5 primary healthcare facilities participated in 7 focus groups, and 18 interviews were conducted with employees from 10 community-based organisations.

resultsMothers identified social needs related to financial planning, personal income stability, appropriate and affordable housing, access to government services, social support and affordable healthier foods. The degree to which these needs were met determined mothers' capabilities to benefit from eight services. These were clinic-based services including nutrition advice and social work support, social grants, food aid, community savings groups, poverty alleviation projects, skills training workshops, formal employment opportunities and crèches/school feeding schemes.

conclusionFindings demonstrate that while current social protection mechanisms and free health services are necessary, they are not sufficient to address nutrition inequalities. Women's social needs must also be met to ensure that services are accessed and used to improve the nutrition of all mothers and their children.

Indexed as

MothersPregnant PeopleChildFemaleHealth Services AccessibilityHumansInfantPovertyPregnancySouth Africacommunity child healthhealth equityhealth policypublic healthqualitative research

Identifiers

PMID37993159
PMCPMC10668265
OpenAlexW4388895495

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.