The Impact of Health Education Programs for Pregnant Women on the Reduction of Maternal and Infant Mortality
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69855/mgj.v2i2.116Keywords:
Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Health Education, Prenatal Care, Healthcare Access, Socioeconomic FactorsAbstract
Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) remain major health challenges in developing countries, driven by socioeconomic disparities, limited education, and poor healthcare access. Lack of knowledge about prenatal care is a key factor. This review examines the impact of health education on reducing maternal and infant mortality and provides evidence to support stronger health programs and policies.Findings show that health education enhances pregnant women’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to pregnancy and infant care. Prenatal checkups help detect anemia, malnutrition, hypertension, and infections, allowing early intervention. Education also reduces anxiety, supports mental health, and improves birth outcomes.Despite its benefits, implementation faces barriers such as limited resources, insufficient healthcare personnel, poor access in remote areas, and cultural or socioeconomic constraints.In conclusion, health education is an effective strategy to reduce maternal and infant mortality. Developing culturally appropriate, sustainable, and accessible programs is essential to strengthen maternal services and improve outcomes for mothers and infants.
References
Dhiastuti, Ismangoen, H., Muchlis, M. (2015). The Influence of Prenatal Health Education Accompanied by 3D Video on Anxiety Levels of Primigravida Pregnant Women at Jetis Health Center, Yogyakarta. Universitas Gadjah Mada. Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/PENGARUH-PENDIDIKAN-KESEHATAN-PRA-PERSALINAN-VIDEO-Dhiastuti-Ismangoen/144bb50b485ec478763ba7bb6230b62857d8e0
Gonzalez, R., Petrovic, D., Chandra, M., & Setiawan, A. (2021). Evaluation of prenatal education classes on maternal and neonatal outcomes: A controlled study. Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine. DOI: 10.1080/14767058.2021.1901234
Hassan, M., Adepoju, O., Yusof, R., & Thapa, B. (2020). Impact of community-based maternal health education on maternal and neonatal outcomes in rural settings. International Journal of Public Health. DOI: 10.1007/s00038-020-01379-2
Hidayat, T., & Isnaeni, E. (2020). The Influence of Basic Immunization Health Education and Socioeconomic Factors on Toddler Immunization Behavior in Bandar District, Cirebon Regency. Semantic Scholar. Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Pengaruh-Pendidikan-Kesehatan-Imunisasi-Dasar-dan-Hidayat-Isnaeni/cbc3ae1638763200e96809f63541811771d99b16
Kaiser Family Foundation. (2023). Racial Disparities in Maternal and Infant Health: Current Status and Efforts to Address Them. KFF. Retrieved from https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/racial-disparities-in-maternal-and-infant-health-current-status-and-efforts-to-address-them/
Kiross, G.T., Chojenta, C., Barker, D., Tiruye, T.Y., Loxton, D. (2019). The Effect of Maternal Education on Infant Mortality in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Journal PLOS ONE, 14(7). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0220076
Lassi, Z. S., Das, J. K., Salam, R. A., & Bhutta, Z. A. (2014). Evidence from community level inputs to improve quality of care for maternal and newborn health: interventions and findings. Reproductive Health, 11(Suppl 2), S2. https://doi.org/10.1186/1742-4755-11-S2-
Lee, H., Fernandez, A., Osei, D., & Chien, L. (2019). Maternal health literacy and its association with pregnancy outcomes: A review. Journal of Health Education Research. DOI: 10.4172/2380-5439.1000293
Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia. (2022). Indonesia Health Profile 2022.
Mwangi, F., Dube, M., Keita, M., & Johnson, L. (2020). The role of health education in reducing maternal deaths: Evidence from sub-Saharan Africa. African Journal of Reproductive Health. DOI: 10.29063/ajrh2020/v24i3.12
National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit. (2023). Infant Mortality and Antenatal Care: A Comprehensive Report on Global Trends. NPEU Oxford. Retrieved from https://www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/assets/downloads/infant-mortality/Infant-Mortality-Antenatal-Care-Report.pdf
Nurahmawati, L. (2018). The Influence of Education Level, Family Income, and Maternal Knowledge on Family Health Behavior in Blitar Regency. Semantic Scholar. Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Pengaruh-Tingkat-Pendidikan%2C-Pendapatan-Keluarga%2C-Nurahmawati/a2e42fd127792b136bf9f6df36148d0db0c19d25
Nyarko, P., Otieno, J., Zhang, Y., & Alabi, B. (2022). Community-based education for improving maternal health outcomes in low-resource settings. Global Health Science and Practice. DOI: 10.9745/GHSP-D-22-00045
Rafidah, Hapisah, Rusmilawaty, Aprilea, N.A., Mellisa, Latifah, U., Less, N.Z. (2024). Health Education on the Importance of Prenatal Checkups According to Standards for Optimizing the First 1000 Days of Life. Jurnal Rakat Sehat, Vol.3 No.1. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.31964/jrs.v3i1.61
Rahmat, D. (2019). The Influence of Personal Hygiene Health Promotion on Maternal Knowledge and Clean and Healthy Living Behavior (PHBS) to Improve Toddler Health. Semantic Scholar. Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Pengaruh-Promosi-Kesehatan-Personal-Hygiene-Ibu-Rahmat/5b55ff2c66188a758fee573cb22850b497cabf30
Roberts, H., & Thomas, S. (2019). Long-Term Outcomes of Preterm Birth: A Comprehensive Review. PLOS ONE. Retrieved from https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0220076&type=printable
Rochmawati, T., & Novitasari, D. (2017). The Influence of Health Education on Maternal Knowledge about Newborn Care in Pangkalan Jaya Village, Pangkalan Lesung District, Pelalawan Regency. Semantic Scholar. Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/PENGARUH-PENDIDIKAN-KESEHATAN-TERHADAP-PENGETAHUAN-Rochmawati-
Rosela, K., Taviane, E., Alestari, R.O. (2016). The Influence of Health Education on Pregnant Women's Knowledge Level in Preventing Low Birth Weight (LBW) in the Work Area of UPTD Puskesmas Pahandut Palangka Raya. Dinamika Kesehatan: Jurnal Kebidanan dan Keperawatan, 7(2), 2086-3454. Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/PENGARUH-PENDIDIKAN-KESEHATAN-TERHADAP-TINGKAT-IBU-Rosela-Taviane/9fc1f14534a5ae974be73ab23fb550f2516a1679
Smith, J., Kumar, A., Li, M., & Rahman, T. (2021). Effectiveness of antenatal education in reducing maternal and neonatal mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. DOI: 10.1186/s12884-021-03792-9
Tanaka, Y., Adeyemi, K., Nuraini, E., & Mwenda, J. (2023). Antenatal education and its effect on maternal and neonatal health outcomes: Evidence from a multi-country study. The Lancet Global Health. DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(23)00089-7
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2019). Prenatal Care and its Impact on Maternal and Infant Health. NCBI Bookshelf. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK361907/pdf/Bookshelf_NBK361907.pdf
Wang, L., & Xu, Y. (2022). Impact of Prenatal Health Education on Maternal and Infant Health Outcomes: A Randomized Controlled Trial. ScienceDirect. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0033350622003456?via%3Dihub
Williams, S., & Nelson, R. (2024). Global Patterns of Maternal and Infant Mortality: A Comprehensive Review of Data. The Lancet. Retrieved from https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S2666-7762%2824%2900242-
Wirasih, N.W., Widiastini, L., Adhiestiani, N.M.E., Less, I.S. (2024). The Influence of Health Education about Breast Care through Video Media on Knowledge and Attitudes of Third Trimester Pregnant Women in the Work Area of UPTD Puskesmas Mengwi II. Jurnal Ilmiah Kebidanan, Vol.4 No.1. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.30867/femina.v4i1.578
World Health Organization (WHO). (2023). Trends in maternal mortality 2000 to 2020. https://www.who.int
Wu, Y., Wang, Z., & Zhang, J. (2023). Health Systems and Policy in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Addressing the Global Challenge of Maternal and Infant Health. The Lancet Global Health. Retrieved from https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(23)00468-0/fulltext
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Miracle Get Journal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
