Abstract
Under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reduce maternal and child mortality rates, significant resources were invested to save the lives of women and children, during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and in the immediate postpartum period. Families, communities, funders, governmental agencies, and civil society organizations made targeted efforts to ensure that women receive adequate antenatal care, delivered their babies with the help of skilled birth attendants, and in settings where her life and that of her baby could be saved. These investments paid off well. Overall maternal and child mortality rates dropped significantly between 1990 and 2015 (World Health Organization 2018). Presently, with the campaign for Universal Health Coverage across the life course as part of the UN’s 2016–2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda (United Nations 2019), there is an opportunity to accelerate and strengthen advocacy for preconception health interventions. This chapter proposes strategies for advancing the utilization of preconception care globally by discussing who to target, what interventions to promote, and how to advocate for needed services and resources.
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Walani, S.R., Moley, K.H. (2020). Global Strategies for Change. In: Shawe, J., Steegers, E., Verbiest, S. (eds) Preconception Health and Care: A Life Course Approach. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-31753-9_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-31753-9_14
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