Kenya

Enhancing maternal child health

Children whose mothers die in childbirth are up to 10 times more likely to die within the first three years of life. Those who survive are more likely to be malnourished, receive less education, live in poverty and experience adverse health outcomes. Yet investment in women and children also yields the highest return of any development expenditure, leading to improved household incomes and health, as well as greater economic growth for society at large.

These trends speak volumes in Kenya, a country with a maternal mortality ratio of 560 deaths per 100,000 live births and an infant mortality rate of 80.5 per 1,000 live births. This project sought to develop research capacity in maternal child health (MCH) and eventually establish a core multidisciplinary MCH research team at the two universities. In this way, the exchange could improve MCH outcomes in Kenya.

Over their three months in Manitoba, the three Kenyan researchers — all new faculty members — took courses to improve skills in epidemiology, research design, statistics and analysis and grantsmanship. The two Canadian researchers also spent three months in Nairobi, where they took part in a maternal, neonatal and child health (MNCH) research symposium and helped develop a study to evaluate maternal and newborn outcomes at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).

While the two universities have collaborated for more than three decades, this exchange represented their first MNCH research partnership from a broad public health perspective. In addition to evaluating maternal and newborn outcomes at KNH, the team undertook a participatory qualitative assessment of the health status and concerns of an isolated Masai community in southeastern Kenya.

The researchers quickly coalesced into a multidisciplinary team, receiving grants for two major MNCH projects through CIDA’s Muskoka Initiative Partnership Program and the AUCC/CIDA Students for Development program. In addition, several other activities ensued, including the creation of an undergraduate medical elective at the University of Nairobi for students from the University of Manitoba.

Armed with strengthened research capacity, the team plans to complete its Muskoka MCNH project, as well as the maternal and newborn outcomes project at KNH. It may also pursue additional research with the Masai community. Not only is their work likely to generate useful data that can affect the health and nutrition of mothers and children in one county, it can serve as a focal point to scale-up related research across Kenya.