A unique and innovative resource for conducting ethnographic research in health care settings, Ethnographic Research in Maternal and Child Health provides a combination of ethnographic theory and an international selection of empirical case studies. The book begins with an overview of the origins and development of ethnography as a methodology, discussing underpinning theoretical perspectives, key methods and challenges related to conducting this type of research. The following substantive chapters present and reflect on ethnographic studies conducted in the fields of maternal and child health, neonatal nursing, midwifery and reproductive health. Designed for academics, postgraduate students and health practitioners within maternal and child health, family health, medical sociology, medical anthropology, medicine, midwifery, neonatal care, paediatrics, social anthropology and public health, the book will also illuminate issues that can help health practitioners to improve service delivery.

This open access edited book brings together new research on the mechanisms by which maternal and reproductive health policies are formed and implemented in diverse locales around the world, from global policy spaces to sites of practice. The authors – both internationally respected anthropologists and new voices – demonstrate the value of ethnography and the utility of reproduction as a lens through which to generate rich insights into professionals’ and lay people’s intimate encounters with policy. Authors look closely at core policy debates in the history of global maternal health across six different continents, including: Women’s use of misoprostol for abortion in Burkina Faso The place of traditional birth attendants in global maternal health Donor-driven maternal health programs in Tanzania Efforts to integrate qualitative evidence in WHO maternal and child health policy-making Anthropologies of Global Maternal and Reproductive Health will engage readers interested in critical conversations about global health policy today. The broad range of foci makes it a valuable resource for teaching in medical anthropology, anthropology of reproduction, and interdisciplinary global health programs. The book will also find readership amongst critical public health scholars, health policy and systems researchers, and global public health practitioners.

Maternal and Child Health (MCH) continues to be one of the most important fields of study for improving the health of populations across the globe. Two the 10 Millennium Development Goals strive specifically to improve maternal and child health, and several others, such as gender equality and HIV/AIDS, are critical aspects of Maternal and Child Health. Written for students in public health, medical, and allied health professions, Global Case Studies in Maternal and Child Health brings to life theoretical and conceptual ideas discussed in primary texts, through the analysis of lived stories of maternal and child health programs around the world. Using structured case studies of community-based programs in maternal and child health from around the world, students will be presented with real-life ethical, practical and theoretical challenges that will develop critical and analytical thinking skills and also provide them with practice models that they can use in their future or present work.

How to understand the simultaneity of parental love and care with inaction when a child is ill? This question inspired author Lianne Holten to conduct the ethnographic study presented in this book. Holten worked and lived in the isolated village of Farabako (Mali) to help establish a maternity clinic. She clearly describes the tension between Western biomedical thinking and local ideas on health. Holten explains how biomedical assumptions make the mothers' actions appear incomprehensible, but she also shows the logic within the local context. This study contributes to the understanding of the importance of local moralities in health and will be useful for public health initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa. (Series: Mande Worlds - Vol. 6)

Research Recipes for Midwives A 16-step guide to writing a research proposal Development of a research question, identification of a research method, and working through the steps to build a sample are complex and hugely important stages in the career of a student midwife. A good research ‘recipe’—a specific method geared to address a certain kind of question—can be critical to the creation of a successful proposal. Research Recipes for Midwives offers a selection of thoroughly tested research methods from which student midwives can choose in developing their own projects, expertly directing the reader through a 16-step process for applying a ‘recipe’ to their own proposal. Reader will also find: Information regarding the relationship between midwifery research and practice A thorough introduction to research methods built around clear concepts Tools for making a complex and challenging process manageable and exciting Research Recipes for Midwives is the ideal resource for student midwives developing research proposals, particularly those enrolled in research methods modules, providing readers with an edge in this foundational element of the research process.

This is Book 2 of 7 in the Ethnographer's Toolkit, Second Edition. Initiating Ethnographic Research: A Mixed Methods Approach, is the first book of its kind. Unlike texts that describe and detail methods for doing ethnographic and qualitative research once in the field, Book 2 explores in depth the many critical issues that ethnographic researchers need to consider before going to the field and in the earliest stages of the field experience. These include preparation of self, establishing relationships that ensure access to the field, and steps in the construction of a formative theoretical model that will inform the entire research process from start to finish. Following guidelines established in Book 1, the first three chapters describe the reasons why ethnography should be considered a mixed methods approach to social science research. They discuss why theory is important in guiding a study, and the important institutional and personal preparations required to enter a field setting and begin work. Additional chapters debunk the idea that ethnographers always enter the field with their minds a "clean slate" in terms of what they will find during their investigation. They show why and how researchers can develop initial theoretical models based on local knowledge and literature reviews. Ethnography uses a holistic approach, so such models take into consideration both individual/population and systemic or structural considerations. They lead the way to integrating ecological, empirical, critical, and interpretivist approaches into a comprehensive analysis of a dynamic system. Two chapters also provide detailed examples to illustrate the connection between steps in the modeling process, creation of observational measures, and steps in data collection--from most open-ended kinds of interviewing and observation to the kind of highly structured ethnographic surveying described in Book 3. Extensive illustrative case examples are included. The final chapter shows how the modeling process can be extended to guide the development of interventions and change strategies at multiple levels--a process that should be part of any research program. A wide variety of diagrams, instructions, examples, and illustrations make the topics and processes covered in Book 2 easy to read and understand, even by novice researchers. Overall, Book 2 offers a unique mixed methods lens through which to build theory by engaging in research modeling, to enter the field, to set up to gather data, and to anticipate influencing change. Other books in the set: Book 1: Designing and Conducting Ethnographic Research: An Introduction, Second Edition by Margaret D. LeCompte and Jean J. Schensul 9780759118690 Book 3: Essential Ethnographic Methods: A Mixed Methods Approach, Second Edition by Jean J. Schensul and Margaret D. LeCompte 9780759122031 Book 4: Specialized Ethnographic Methods: A Mixed Methods Approach edited by Jean J. Schensul and Margaret D. LeCompte 9780759122055 Book 5: Analysis and Interpretation of Ethnographic Data: A Mixed Methods Approach, Second Edition by Margaret D. LeCompte and Jean J. Schensul 9780759122079 Book 6: Ethics in Ethnography: A Mixed Methods Approach by Margaret D. LeCompte and Jean J. Schensul 9780759122093 Book 7: Ethnography in Action: A Mixed Methods Approach by Jean J. Schensul and Margaret D. LeCompte 9780759122116

"The 4th edition of Maternal and Child Health will continue to offer a comprehensive, trusted introduction to the field of Maternal and Child Health, however this new edition, with a new author team and new MCH expert contributors, will present the traditional MCH topics in a modern context that addresses race/ethnicity, an expanded family focus (including fathers), and a broadened approach that will appeal not only to public health professionals, but also to health professionals outside public health practice"--