Projects in Research & Evaluation

MCH-STAR is currently undertaking the three research and evaluation projects at a state level, in Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh and at a National Level. All MCH-STAR funded research and evaluation activities are undertaken only with the support of the respective national and state governments.

IndiaCLEN Multicentre Trial of Home versus Hospital Oral Amoxicillin for Management of Severe Pneumonia in Children (ISPOT)

Implementing Agencies: IndiaCLEN  Geographic Scope: Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Chandigarh  Duration: (12 months) October 1, 2009 to September 30, 2010  Contact Person: Dr. Archana Patel  Resource Material: ----

Project Description: Current WHO guidelines for management of children with severe pneumonia focus on administering parenteral antibiotics and hospitalization. Recent evidence suggests that high dose oral antibiotics are as effective as parenteral antibiotics for severe pneumonia without complications. However, current WHO guidelines do not address the difficulties related to referral and hospitalization of children with severe pneumonia. Hospitalization of sick children is greatly influenced by socioeconomic and cultural barriers faced by the community, and often compounded by low resource settings and poor health systems. It is therefore necessary to generate enough scientific evidence to influence the policy makers and subsequently the political will to implement a change in the WHO recommendations for treatment of children with severe pneumonia in the community. The ISPOT study intends to demonstrate that severe childhood pneumonia can be effectively treated at home using the standard treatment practice of a 7-day course of oral amoxicillin.....More»

Concurrent Evaluation of the Reach, Effectiveness and Impact of the Mukhya Mantri Janani Shishu Swasthya  Abhiyan (MJSSA-JSY) in Jharkhand: An IndiaCLEN and PFI Study

Implementing Agencies: IndiaCLEN & Population Foundation of India  Geographic Scope: Jharkhand   Duration: 12 months (Sept 29, 2008 – Sept 30, 2009)  Contact Person: ----  Resource Material: ----

Project Description: Indian Clinical Epidemiology Network (IndiaCLEN) in collaboration with Population Foundation of India (PFI) are conducting a joint study on the reach, effectiveness and impact of the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) Scheme in Jharkhand, India. The JSY Scheme aims to increase the number of institutional deliveries in an effort to reduce maternal mortality. JSY management and its functionality require an intensive scrutiny in order to address its acceptability, reach, effectiveness, and pregnancy outcomes such as maternal and neonatal health and survival. This study will provide information to program managers and policy makers in Jharkhand so that they can make necessary improvements/ modifications in strategies that will lead to improved maternal and newborn outcome through a more effective JSY scheme. ...More»

Study of the Social Determinants and Health Facility Management of Childhood Under-nutrition in Jharkhand  and  Uttar Pradesh

Implementing Agencies: IndiaCLEN  Geographic Scope: Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, and Rajasthan  Duration: October 2008-October 2009  Contact Person: -----  Resource Material: -----

Project Description: India bears the largest burden of childhood under-nutrition in the world. The influence of India’s unique could be partially responsible for these abnormally high child under-nutrition rates. Although several social factors that negatively impact child under-nutrition have already been identified, there are many more that remain unknown. Indian Clinical Epidemiology Network (IndiaCLEN),in partnership with partnership with USAID’s MCHSTAR Imitative , Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Norway-India Partnership Initiative (NIPI), and the World Health Organisation (WHO), is conducting a qualitative study to further understand the complex relationship between under-nutrition and social and clinical practices. By studying cases of under-nutrition qualitatively, this study will help to identify the unknown social factors that are preventing the reduction of under-nutrition among children in India. ...More»

Concurrent Evaluation of the National Rural Health Mission Behavior Change Communication Campaign

Implementing Agencies: Population Foundation of India   Geographic Scope: National   Duration: One month  Contact Person: ----  Resource Material:

Project Description: At the request of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, USAID’s MCH-STAR Initiative has selected The Population Foundation of India (PFI) to evaluate the second phase of the National Behavior Change Communication Campaign on the National Rural Health Mission. The month long campaign was designed to promote existing programs and schemes and improve attitudes towards and increase knowledge of key maternal, newborn, child health, and nutrition interventions and behaviors. In particular, the campaign focused on: the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM); the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) cash scheme to promote institutional deliveries; ante-natal Care (ANC); institutional deliveries; the role of the community workers known as Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA); age at marriage; birth spacing; village health and nutrition day; immunization; village health and sanitation committees; and newborn care. PFI has undertaken a nationwide concurrent evaluation assessing the campaign’s reach and its visibility, recall, comprehension of messages, and acceptability of the spots among the target population.