Kelias Msyamboza|Emma Savage|Peter N. Kazembe|Sabine Gies|Gertrude Kalanda|Umberto D’Alessandro|Bernard Brabin
Community?based distribution of sulfadoxine?pyrimethamine for intermittent preventive treatment of malaria during pregnancy improved coverage but reduced antenatal attendance in southern Malawi
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine|Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde|Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine|Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde|University of Liverpool|University of Amsterdam|Alder Hey Children's Hospital|Emma Kinderziekenhuis|Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
evaluate impact 2year programme communitybased delivery sulfadoxinepyrimethamine sp intermittent preventive treatment pregnancy coverage antenatal clinic attendance pregnancy outcomefourteen intervention 12 control villages catchment areas chikwawa ngabu government hospitals southern malawi selected villagebased community health workers trained information education counselling malaria control pregnancy importance attending antenatal clinics promoted messages pregnant women intervention group community health workers also distributed sp pregnant womenin control area coverage intermittent preventive treatment pregnancy 2 doses low 441 intervention 461 intervention area coverage increased 415 829 p 001 antenatal clinic attendance 2 visits maintained control villages 90 fell intervention villages 873 515 p 001 postnatal malaria parasitaemia prevalence fell women study areas intervention phase p 005 increasing coverage intermittent preventive treatment pregnancy 40 significantly improve maternal haemoglobin reduce low birthweight prevalencebetter coverage communitybased intermittent preventive treatment pregnancy lower attendance antenatal clinics thus effect pregnancy outcome antenatal attendance need monitored