Integrating
prevention of acute respiratory infections with micro-credit programme:
experience of BRAC, Bangladesh.
Hadi A.
BRAC Centre, Dhaka, Bangladesh. shirsha@bangla.net
The contribution of acute respiratory infection control project within the
framework of micro-credit-based development intervention in promoting maternal
knowledge of ARIs in children was assessed. Data came from a cross-sectional
survey of 2814 mothers of under 5-y-old children residing in 200 randomly
selected villages in five districts in Bangladesh. Findings revealed that the
ARI control project had significant positive effects in raising knowledge of
clinical signs and preventive measures. When ARI control project activities were
integrated with the credit-based development initiative, maternal knowledge
improved even further. The study concludes that the micro-credit programme can
be a catalytic agent in raising health knowledge among poor women in developing
countries.
PMID: 12087484