How changes in coverage affect equity in maternal and child health interventions in 35 Countdown to 2015 countries: an analysis of national surveys

Countdown to 2015 tracks progress towards achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5. This research, published in the Lancet, assessed the coverage of three maternal and child health interventions in 35 Countdown countries for which there were two surveys (demographic and health surveys or multiple indicator cluster surveys).The aim of the study was to examine the extent to which socioeconomic inequalities in health changes depend on the speed of progress towards wider coverage of the interventions.The researchers found that there was an increase in coverage of skilled birth attendance and measles vaccination, although inequalities were widepread in favour of the wealthiest portions of population.Furthermore, they found that the countries with faster improvements in coverage were associated with improved equity between wealthy and poor segments of the population. Importantly, the researchers found that country-wide increases in coverage of the interventions were driven primarily by how rapidly the coverage increased amongst the poorest segments of population.The authors concluded that in order to achieve wider coverage more rapidly, that equity should be taken into consideration when panning the scale up of interventions, specifically  to target the poorest.To read the article, click here. Free subscription is required to access the full article.To find out more about Countdown to 2015, click here.Victora, C. G., Barros, A. J. D., Axelson, H., Bhutta, Z. A., Chopra, M., França, G. V. A., Kerber, K., Kirkwood, B.R., Newby, H., Ronsmans, C., & Boerma, J.T. (2012). How changes in coverage affect equity in maternal and child health interventions in 35 Countdown to 2015 countries: an analysis of national surveys. The Lancet, 380(9848), 1149–1156.