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Having a "safe delivery": conflicting views from Tibet.
Vincanne Adams1, Suellen Miller, Jennifer Chertow
1Department of Anthropology, History, and Social Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA. vadams@itsa.ucsf.edu
Health Care for Women International
|October 11, 2005
Summary
High maternal mortality in Tibet is addressed by a new village birth attendant training program. This initiative, based on ethnographic research, integrates traditional Tibetan beliefs with Western medical concepts for safer childbirth experiences.
Area of Science:
- Global Health
- Medical Anthropology
- Public Health Interventions
Background:
- Maternal mortality ratios in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) are among the highest globally.
- Despite traditional Tibetan medicine's focus on maternal health, the region lacks traditional birth attendants.
- A gap exists in understanding rural Tibetan women's perspectives on safe delivery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate rural Tibetan women's beliefs and behaviors regarding pregnancy and childbirth.
- To develop a culturally appropriate village birth attendant training program for rural Tibet.
- To compare Tibetan women's concepts of "safe delivery" with evidence-based Western medicine.
Main Methods:
- Ethnographic methods, including individual interviews with 38 rural Tibetan women.
- Interviews with prefecture, county, and township healthcare providers.
- Utilizing gathered data to design a village birth attendant training program.
Main Results:
- Identified specific beliefs and behaviors of rural Tibetan women concerning pregnancy and childbirth.
- Developed a culturally sensitive training program for village birth attendants.
- Highlighted the alignment and divergence between traditional Tibetan and Western concepts of safe delivery.
Conclusions:
- Ethnographic research is crucial for designing effective, culturally relevant healthcare interventions.
- The developed training program offers a model for improving maternal and child health in the TAR.
- Addressing maternal mortality requires integrating local perspectives with evidence-based practices.