FRONTIERS PROJECT
Acceptability, Feasibility, and Affordability of the World Health Organization (WHO) Goal-Oriented Antenatal Care (ANC) Package in Ghana

This project, conducted with Ghana's Ministry of Health, assessed the implementation and effects of the government’s 2003 antenatal care (ANC) policy. The policy was adapted from WHO’s healthy motherhood package. It focuses on individualized care and encourages four antenatal visits to providers. The study compared the performance of clinics implementing the new policy versus the standard ANC approach. Findings demonstrated unevenness in both the implementation and the impact of the policy. Facilities implementing individualized care sometimes performed better than those giving standard ANC, but performed worse in certain areas. Discussion of the symptoms, prevention, and effects of sexually transmitted infections (including HIV) and counseling on prevention of mother-to-child transmission were limited at control clinics and only slightly higher at intervention clinics.

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Location

Ghana

Duration

October 2004–August 2005

Population Council researcher

Philomena Nyarko

Non-Council collaborator

Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research

Donor

US Agency for International Development

Publications/Resources
Council researchers' names appear in boldface type. 

2006
Birungi, Harriet, Philomena Nyarko, Margaret Armar-Klemesu, Daniel Arhinful, Sylvia Deganus, Henrietta Odoi-Agyarko, and Gladys Brew. "Acceptability and feasibility of introducing the WHO focused antenatal care package in Ghana," FRONTIERS Final Report. Washington, DC: Population Council. (PDF, 460 KB)

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See Also

• Ghana
• Safe Motherhood/Postpartum Care
• FRONTIERS Ghana
• FRONTIERS Safe Motherhood/Postpartum Care

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