Those attending the Conference on Public Health in African (CPHIA) in November 2023 are invited to join a session about new findings related to urban health for mothers, newborns and children in sub-Saharan Africa, hosted by Countdown and the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC).
Reducing Inequalities in Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in Cities in sub-Saharan Africa
27 November 2023
15:00 – 17:00 Central African Time
Bamboo, New Wing at the Mulungushi International Conference Center
Massive migration has led to uncontrolled urbanization in many sub-Saharan African countries, with migrants often residing in slums and informal settlements. United Nations estimates indicate that 54% of urban populations in sub-Saharan Africa live in slums. Although health outcomes have traditionally been better in urban areas than in rural areas, recent analysis has suggested that child health outcomes may be relatively stagnant in urban areas. To get better understanding of the situation, Countdown collaborated with research teams from 10 African countries to analyze the conditions of the capital city poor with regard to maternal, newborn, and child health and to understand health inequities and policies implemented by governments. This session will present the results, which will be included in a forthcoming series of journal articles. Session attendees will participate in discussion focused on defining concrete strategies and actions for better epidemic resilience and preparedness.
Presentations will include:
- Are capital cities losing their health advantage over other urban and rural areas in sub-Saharan Africa? by Agbessi Amouzou of Johns Hopkins University in the United States.
- Who are the urban poor groups in the largest cities in Sub-Saharan Africa countries? by Fernando Wehrmeister, of the International Center for Equity in Health in Brazil
- Spatio-Temporal Trends of Maternal and Child Health Service Utilization and Child Mortality in Poor and Rich Districts of Addis Ababa city, Ethiopia by Worku Dechassa of the Ethiopian Public Health Institute.
- Inequalities in access to emergency obstetric and neonatal care services in Dakar, Senegal by Malick Sylla of APHRC in Senegal.
- Urban deprivation, under-five child, and maternal health in Kampala Metropolitan city by Rornald Muhumuza of Makerere University in Uganda.
- Understanding trends in and contextual factors affecting access to maternal health care services among women living in urban slums of Lusaka, Zambia by Choolwe Jacobs of the University of Zambia.