title: Health and health care of mothers and children in a suburban area of Luanda, Angola.
abstract: Population health data available in Angola are often insufficient to guide the planning of health interventions. To address this gap, the goal of the present study was to investigate the health of mothers and infants in a suburban municipality in Luanda (Cacuaco), in order to provide a baseline for future comparisons. This was a prevalence study investigating infants younger than 2 years of age and their mothers. Mothers were interviewed, and children's height and weight were measured. Of 749 mothers interviewed, 98.5% (95% CI 98.2-99.1%) had at least one prenatal visit and 51.7% (95% CI 47.4-56.3%) had a health card. Most mothers with a health card had their first prenatal visit before the 20th week of pregnancy, and had at least four prenatal visits; 81.1% (95% CI 78.3-84.1%) of mothers also had their child's health card. Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months was 19% (95% CI 16.2-23.1%). Prevalence of low height-for-age and low BMI-for-age were 32 and 6%, respectively. Mothers with higher education levels were more likely to have had their first prenatal visit earlier, to have had more prenatal visits, to have given birth at a health facility, and to have her own and her child's health cards. Results showed a high prevalence of prenatal care and a low frequency of acute malnutrition. Maternal education level, among factors studied, was the predominant correlate of more positive health behaviors. These findings suggest important progress of mother and child health in Cacuaco, and may serve as a baseline for the planning of health interventions.
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program of Epidemiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: João Baptista
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Humbwavali
authors.forename: Camila
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giugliani
authors.forename: Bruce Bartholow
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.forename: Erno
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Harzheim
authors.forename: Antônio Carlile Holanda
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Lavor
authors.forename: Míria Campos
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Lavor
authors.forename: Maria Idalice
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.forename: Patrícia Barros
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Lisiane
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hauser
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000810:Angola / Q000453:epidemiology; D002662:Child Health Services; D018672:Community Health Planning; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008427:Maternal Health Services; D015995:Prevalence; D011320:Primary Health Care; D036301:Qualitative Research; D019036:Suburban Health Services; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013851:Thinness / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult