title: The Chilcapamba-McGill Partnership: Exploring Access to Maternal and Newborn Care in Indigenous Communities of Ecuador.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Based on a participatory research (PR) partnership between Family Medicine at McGill University, Canada and the Andean community of Chilcapamba, Ecuador, a medical student study focused on maternal and newborn health.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the access to maternal and newborn care and the occurrence of intrafamilial violence in women with children 5 years of age or less in three indigenous communities of Ecuador.
  
  
  METHODS
  A semistructured survey explored the perinatal and intrapartum care as well as intrafamilial violence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All women (N = 30) received prenatal care, 29 received postnatal care from a physician and 77% gave birth at the hospital. Eighty percent of women experienced intrafamilial violence; 73% reported psychological and 53% physical violence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is good access to maternal and newborn health care, although the reported level of violence is high. Results were shared with the community and will be used in a local community health worker (CHW) training program. Our project highlights the importance of PR to investigate sensitive health challenges.
authors.forename: Annie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dube
authors.forename: Gillian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bartlett
authors.forename: Juana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Doucet
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caudarella
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: Doaa
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Farid
authors.forename: Ann C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Macaulay
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research / Q000379:methods*; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004484:Ecuador; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006303:Health Services, Indigenous / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008427:Maternal Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult