Association between the ownership of home-based records and continuous, quality maternal and child health service utilisation: a multi-country analysis of Demographic Health Surveys from 18 low- and middle-income countries.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The continuity and quality of maternal and child health (MCH) services represent significant challenges in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Home-based records (HBRs), including the integrated Maternal and Child Health Handbook (MCHHB), may support consistent service usage and improved care quality. We aimed to evaluate the association between HBRs and continued quality MCH care, identifying differences in associations between MCHHBs and the continuum of care and those between other HBR types and the continuum of care.

Methods

We conducted a pooled analysis of Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) from 18 LMICs, including women and their youngest eligible children for the health card module. We defined the continuum of quality MCH care using receipt of qual

SUBMITTER: Saito A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12900547 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature