Maternal Mortality and Child Malnutrition in Afghanistan: The Role of Birth Defects and Nutritional Deficiencies

Year 2025, Volume: 17 Issue: 2, 18 - 31

Fazila Akrami , Mursal Akrami , Sadaf Mohammadi , Fayeza Etemadi Khatera Akrami , Jamila Azimi , Mir Abdullatif Yahya

https://doi.org/10.56484/iamr.1703297

Abstract

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.

Keywords

Child malnutrition, birth defects, nutritional deficiencies, maternal health, Afghanistan

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