Maternal, Newborn and Child health: Public Health Strategies Across the Life Course

The reduction of maternal and child mortality has been a cornerstone of global public health, a key social development indicator of equity and health system performance, and one in which despite significant reductions in recent decades, millions of preventable deaths and disabilities occur in women and children, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, necessitating an approach that encompasses more than clinical care and includes preventive strategies, nutrition, social determinants, community participation, and strong health systems. This book takes a life-course public health approach to maternal, newborn, and child health, with a focus on continuity of care from adolescence through pregnancy, childbirth, early childhood, and into adolescence, and with chapters that establish the conceptual and epidemiological foundations of MNCH, introduce the life-course approach to health outcomes, discuss key indicators such as maternal mortality ratio, neonatal mortality rate, and under-five mortality to show progress and persistent inequities, with a focus on inequities related to gender, socioeconomic status, and geographic location.