Community engagement supports maternal health care attitudes and utilisation: mixed-method evaluation evidence from the CONNECT Initiative in Lao PDR
CONNECT addressed communities' trust and relationships towards local healthcare providers. The Initiative responded effectively to social determinants of maternal health in Lao PDR, with the positive side-effect of strengthening the gatekeeping functions of primary care facilities in the broader health system. This provides strong support for further operational and evaluation research into the opportunities of relational community engagement activities to complement supply-sided interventions in the attainment of global maternal health goals and low- and middle-income country health services provision more broadly.
Authors
- Sayaka Horiuchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5050-8732)
- Elizabeth M. Elliott (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9036-0995)
- Marco J. Haenssgen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5849-7131)
- Sysavanh Phommachanh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5637-9414)
- Shogo Kubota (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1770-4381)
- Ounkham Souksavanh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4775-9830)
- Hironori Okabayashi
- Moe Ando
- Sandra Bode
- Thongkhoon Xayyahong
- Latthanikone Sabphaisan
Institutions
- World Health Organization - Pakistan (PK)
- Burnet Institute (AU)
- Rural Development Agency (LA)
- World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific (PH)
- Chiang Mai University (TH)
Publication Details
- Journal
- BMC Health Services Research
- Published
- 2025-10-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-13197-4
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Global Maternal and Child Health
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 6.99
Funders
- United States Agency for International Development
- World Health Organization
- Australian Government
- European Commission
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australian Government
- Korea Foundation for International Health Care
- Ministry of Education, India