A Qualitative Examination of Communication between ASHA Workers and Pregnant Women in Kerala, India

Abstract

Background & Objective: According to the NFHS-5 (2019-2021) report, the state of Kerala in Indiareported a decrease in maternal and infant mortality rates. One of the key factors aiding this success rate is the increased antenatal and post-natal care received by pregnant womenthrough community health workers like ASHA, ANMs, and other public health workers. The communication between community health workers and pregnant women plays a vital role in this. Therefore, to understand the importance of communication inmaternal health outcomes, this study probes into the communication process happening between ASHA workers and women during the time of their pregnancy.Materials and Methods:In-depth interviews were conducted among 18 participants (aged 23-29) from June 2023 to August 2023. The women were selected througha non-random purposive sampling method from the Vathikudi panchayath of Idukki district. A thematic analysis has been performed to find out the themes of their conversations.

Results: Four themes have been identified from the thematic analysis. Women reported that their ASHA workers communicate with them regularly and they talked about maternal healthcare services provided by both central and state governments, pregnancy complications, nutrition and dietary plans, and mental health and wellbeing.

Conclusion: Women in this study reported their conversations with health workers were productive in nature. However, there is still a need for more training for public health workers to provide effective information exchange especially related to maternal health.

Keywords: ASHA workers, mental health, nutrition and dietary plans, pregnancy, pregnancy complications, wellbeing