Following training courses for traditional birth attendants among refugee Afghan women in Pakistan, a survey was conducted to test the knowledge and practices of the participants and of mothers whose babies had been delivered by them, using untrained birth attendants as the basis for comparison. Marked improvements in knowledge and skills were demonstrated, and recommendations made by the trained birth attendants about breast-feeding, maternal nutrition, immunization and hygiene were generally followed by mothers before and after delivery. Furthermore, far fewer complications and deaths were associated with deliveries performed by trained birth attendants than with those conducted by their untrained colleagues. The training of traditional birth attendants was clearly an effective way to educate women about hygiene and health.

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education Infant Nutrition Reproduction maternal care Pakistan Health Personnel Afghanistan refugee prenatal care Maternal-child Health Services population Migrants Southern Asia Organization And Administration Population Dynamics human Developing Countries Refugees pregnancy outcomes Asia Programs knowledge Breast Feeding health hygiene competence female Review pregnancy health services Midwives health worker training maternal and child health traditional birth attendants delivery Training Of Trainers Training Programs medical assistant nutrition Support, Non-U.S. Gov't program evaluation pregnancy outcome migration health education Midwifery adult Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice Demographic Factors Refugees--women Delivery of Health Care Maternal Health Services immunization puerperium public health primary health care labor