Unit information: Maternal and Child Health in 2011/12

Please note: you are viewing unit and programme information for a past academic year. Please see the current academic year for up to date information.

Unit name Maternal and Child Health
Unit code COBM31024
Credit points 20
Level of study H/6
Teaching block(s) Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director Emeritus Professor. Alan Emond
Open unit status Not open
Pre-requisites

None
Co-requisites

None
School/department Bristol Medical School (PHS)
Faculty Faculty of Health Sciences

Description including Unit Aims

Sex and gender have a large impact on the health of women and men, particularly in the context of sexual and reproductive health. Inequalities in the health of women and children are often particularly apparent. Since children represent 50% of the population in many low-income countries and child health is intricately bound with maternal health this has huge inmpact on global health. This unit will explore global inequalities in gender, child and maternal health and look at implications for global health priorities. Conditions and diseases of global importance affecting child and maternal health such as malnutritution and HIV will be considered in more details. There will also be options to explore sexually transmitted disease, global programes to reduce the burden of childhood disease, childhood disability and childhood accidents from an international perspective.

This unit aims to develop the student’s interest in, as well as knowledge and understanding of:

  • Conditions of global importance affecting women’s and children’s health
  • The global burden and causes of maternal and child mortality
  • Impact of programmes designed to reduce inequalities in child and maternal health

A number of important overarching issues related to maternal and child health in a global setting, including those of gender and gender equality and the rights of the child will first be introduced. The unit will then move on to consider more specifically, the challenges related to safe motherhood in this context and the approaches which may be taken to address them. Continuing this theme, perinatal care and care of the newborn will then be discussed outlining, in particular, some of the strategies available to minimise perinatal mortality and the risk of vertical HIV transmission in a resource poor setting. Finally the unit highlights a number of the health issues facing children globally, including those of nutrition and childhood injury and considers the implementation of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) in a resource poor context.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students will be able to:

  • Give examples of the practicalities of safe motherhood and good perinatal care in poor-income-settings
  • Understand the challenges in HIV prevention and management in maternal and child health
  • Appreciate principles underpinning the Rights of the Child
  • Describe global programmes to improve child health such as the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI)
  • Understand the importance of nutrition on child and maternal health
  • Explain the importance of accidents in childhood as a cause of mortality and morbidity and be able to discuss efficacy of accident reduction programmes.

Teaching Information

This unit will be taught in the form of 3 hour workshops using a variety of teaching methods including lectures, presentations, journal clubs, debates and seminars.

Assessment Information

Summative assessment: Group presentation – 30%

1.5 hr examination – 70% (exam length 3 hours total for two module)

Reading and References

Gender, health and gender equity in a global context

  • Payne, S. (2009) How can gender equity be addressed through health systems?

World Health Organisation http://www.euro.who.int/document/E92846.pdf

  • Vlassoff, C and Moreno, CG (2002) Placing gender at the centre of health

programming: challenges and limitations Social Science and Medicine, 54, 11, 1713-23 (ejournal, online)

  • Doyal, L, (2000) Gender equity in health: Debates and dilemmas 51, 6, 931-9
  • Krieger, N. (2003) Genders, sexes, and health: what are the connections?and

why does it matter? International Journal of Epidemiology 32, 652-7

  • Standing, H. (1997) Gender and equity in health sector reform programmes: a

review Health Policy and Planning, 12, 1-18

Child Health & the Rights of the Child

  • International Convention on the Rights of the Child.

www.unicef.org/crc/index.html

  • Lancet series – child survival (2003): Vol. 361, pp 2172, 2226-2234, Vol. 362, pp 65-71, 159-164, 233-241, 262 and 323-327
  • Waterston T, Goldhagen J. Why children’s rights are central to international child health. Arch Dis Child 2007 92: 176-180

Safe Motherhood

  • WHO reproductive health site + WHO (1999) Standards of midwifery practice for safe motherhood
  • www.who.int/reproductive-health

Nutrition

  • Management of the Child with a Serious Infection or Severe Malnutrition (2002): WHO

Perinatal Care

  • Seminars in Perinatology 2010 34:371-386 3.6 million neonatal deaths: progress Joy Lawn et al

Integrated management of childhood illness

Integrated Management of Childhood Illness. Archives of Disease in Childhood 2005;90:732

Childhood injury

  • WHO website on injuries:

http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/en/

  • Peden M et al. (eds.) World Report on Child Injury Prevention.. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2008.

Related links