Center for Implementation Sciences in Health - CIS

🌟 Revisiting This Important Research 🌟

A qualitative study in Ethiopia highlights how beliefs and perceptions shape the care of preterm newborns.

The findings show that stigma, myths, and low expectations for survival across families, communities, and healthcare providers can contribute to fear, blame, and reduced care-seeking and support for preterm babies.

👉 Addressing these deep-rooted attitudes is essential to improving outcomes and ensuring better care for preterm newborns.

This research was conducted as part of the formative assessment for the Special Lactation Support Implementation Research (SLS-IR) project under the CIS.

📌 Get the Full Paper on: https://lnkd.in/dKHm2nPd

If you are at , CIS invites you all to join the sessions and the conversations!!

🌟We are pleased to announce that the Center for Implementation Sciences in Health - CIS will be participating in the International Maternal New-born Health Conference ( ) 2026, taking place in Nairobi from March 23–26, 2026.

As an implementation research institute, CIS remains committed to generating evidence, strengthening health systems, and supporting the scale-up of proven interventions within the already existing system that improve maternal and newborn outcomes.

Our participation reflects our continued dedication to bridging the “know–do” gap and contributing to both national and global efforts to advance maternal and newborn health.

🔦 Research Spotlight 🔦

As a part of formative assessment of Special Lactation Support Implementation Research (SLS-IR), qualitative research was done to identify perceptions, beliefs and attitudes towards preterm birth at individual, interpersonal, organisational and societal levels.

The study was done in Meki and Batu, Oromia region, Ethiopia. Through In- depth interviews and focus group discussions the study included women who had preterm births, family members, community members, healthcare workers and expert stakeholders.

What the Result Showed

💠Individual level
Preterm new-born mothers often feel guilt and self- blame. Families tend to keep preterm birth a secret due to perceptions of "incompleteness".

💠Interpersonal level
Preterm newborns are often stigmatized, and families are disappointed by mothers who give birth prematurely. However, some believe that preterm newborns are accepted within the community.

💠Organizational level
Healthcare providers find the causes of preterm birth unpredictable; they do not consider preterm births prevalent and consider some of them as abortion. There is also a common belief that preterm infants have a low survival rate, leading to the de-prioritization of their care.

💠Societal level
Some believe preterm births are caused by "divine will" as "punishment" for sins committed by the mother, while others think they occur naturally. Preterm newborn’s death is often not acknowledged as true loss and families are discouraged from grieving.

The study identified that beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes surrounding preterm birth held by families, communities, healthcare providers and society at large influence the care the preterm newborn–mother dyads receive both at home and in health facilities.

The study was conducted through financial support from the Gates Foundation, and the article processing was covered by the Laerdal Foundation.

📌 Get the Full Paper on: https://cis.aau.edu.et/index.php/publications/