TY  - JOUR
T1  - Knowledge, Perceptions, and Experiences Regarding Factors Affecting Maternal Mortality and Child Nutrition in Afghanistan
AU  - Yahya, Mir Abdullatif
AU  - Akrami, Fazila
AU  - Akrami, Mursal
AU  - Mohammadi, Sadaf
AU  - Etemadi, Fayeza
AU  - Akrami, Khatera
AU  - Azimi, Jamila
PY  - 2025
DA  - August
Y2  - 2025
DO  - 10.56484/iamr.1703297
JF  - International Archives of Medical Research
JO  - IAMR
PB  - Veysi AKPOLAT
WT  - DergiPark
SN  - 2146-6033
SP  - 18
EP  - 31
VL  - 17
IS  - 2
LA  - en
AB  - Objective: The study focused on investigating the perceptions, knowledge, and experiences regarding maternal mortality and nutritional deficiencies among the healthcare workers, medical students, and community members in Afghanistan.Method: A descriptive cross-sectional survey employing the Snowball Sampling (SBS) method was conducted. A total of 620 people representing four geographic zones of Afghanistan participated in the study, including healthcare providers (n=75), medical students (n=386), and people from the community (n=159). Data on knowledge, practices, clinical exposure, and barriers to maternal and child nutrition were collected via structured questionnaires.Results: The primary causes of maternal death were hemorrhage (72.7%) and malnutrition (41.6%). Iron deficiency was the most common nutritional issue (76.6%), and congenital anomalies like heart defects were often attributed to malnutrition. Only 13% of professionals believed nutrition protocols had been well implemented. The medical students recorded poorly in clinical readiness, whereas 76.7% of community members had no access to government nutrition programs to speak of. Regardless of the group, poverty was identified as the main barrier.Conclusion: Despite moderate awareness of maternal nutrition's importance, systemic gaps, poor infrastructure, and inconsistent program access hinder progress. Multisectoral strategies are urgently needed to address maternal mortality and child malnutrition in Afghanistan. Efforts should prioritize education, clinical training, and equitable program delivery to improve maternal and child health outcomes.
KW  - Child malnutrition
KW  - birth defects
KW  - nutritional deficiencies
KW  - maternal health
KW  - Afghanistan
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UR  - https://doi.org/10.56484/iamr.1703297
L1  - https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/4888083
ER  -