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SHOULD PREGNANT WOMEN RECEIVE PREGNANCY GRANTS?

22/03/2014 04:28:00 BY Mphiyakhe M. Ntuli

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There’s is growing talk in South Africa that pregnant women might receive pregnancy grants. I am still following some on -going research projects, in South Africa, to that effect.

As soon as they are concluded, I shall share the findings in this column. Currently a few surveys have been done and last week the general public was requested to react to some of the findings. As expected, there were mixed reactions from the public.

What do we say as Swazis?

Should pregnant women receive pregnancy grants?
There’s enough research, information and statistics, easily available from the Ministry of Health and local hospitals about the plight of pregnant women. We all know that Swaziland is a poor country, though most economics believe that Swaziland is not poor, rather, the economy is not fairly distributed.

The reality indicates that a good number of pregnant women in Swaziland live below the poverty line. The number of miscarriages, infant deaths and death of mothers when giving birth is also a concern. Let alone the growing number of unhealthy babies and children, as result of lack of proper nutrition during embryonic stage, is also concern. Should pregnant mothers receive food packs and monthly grants? The introduction of Child Support Grant in South Africa has had positive impacts in that country.

In as much as we could say, men should support their pregnant spouses, but realty indicates that a good number of pregnant women are struggling financially, hence affecting the lives and health of both the mothers and children. It is even hurting to understand that some mothers struggle to go for the monthly check-ups, due to lack of money.
How can we save these poor mothers and their babies, they are our future?

YOU ARE WHAT YOUR MOTHER EATS

What a woman eats when she is pregnant can have profound lasting effects on her child’s health. The expression ‘you are what you eat’ applies, but in this case it is, ‘you are what your mother eats’.
During the prenatal period the foetus has the enormous task of evolving, in only nine short months, from a single-cell, fertilised egg to a human infant.
In order to accomplish this, the foetus must have all of the necessary resources available in proper quantities and at the exact times they are needed.

Despite the daunting nature of the task, mothers have been producing healthy infants for thousands of years, demonstrating the most amazing adaptability of both the mother and her child. The capacity of the mother’s body to create the necessary conditions for foetal growth is one of the great miracles of life.

There are limits, however, and the health of the child may suffer in obvious and not so obvious ways if certain thresholds for nutrients are not met. Although a pregnant body has an amazing ability to compensate for nutrient deficiencies and excesses, a woman cannot provide essential nutrients for her child, if she herself is deficient in them, (Jones and Bartlett).

NUTRITION OF
WOMEN BEFORE
THEY CONCEIVE

About 468 million women aged 15 to 49 years (30 per cent of all women) are thought to be anaemic, at least half because of iron deficiency. The highest proportions of these anaemic women live in Africa (48 per cent to 57 per cent), and the greatest numbers are in south-eastern Asia (182 million women of reproductive age and 18 million pregnant women). The prevalence of anaemia in adolescent girls (15–19 years) can be even higher and exceeds 60 per cent in Ghana, Mali and Senegal. Anaemia and iron deficiency, which are associated with a lower physical capacity and increased susceptibility to infections, need to be tackled before women become pregnant in order to reduce the risks of poor maternal health and low birth weight babies, (World Health Organisation, 2012).

NUTRITION OF WOMEN DURING PREGNANCY

During pregnancy a woman needs good nutritional status for a healthy outcome. Women who have a poor nutritional status at conception are at higher risk of disease and death; their health depends greatly on the availability of food, and they may be unable to cope with their increased nutrient needs during pregnancy in situations of food insecurity. Infections such as malaria and HIV and infestation with gastrointestinal parasites can exacerbate such women’s under-nutrition. A large number of women experience micronutrient deficiencies (of iron and vitamin A, for instance); almost half all pregnant women in the world are thought to have anaemia and 9.8 million pregnant women have night blindness. An estimated 19.1 million pregnant women (the highest proportions in Africa and south-eastern Asia) have low serum retinol concentrations. Maternal deficiencies in micronutrients may lower infant birth weight and jeopardise development and survival: maternal iodine deficiency is associated with congenital malformations and mental retardation in children and a link between vitamin B12 deficiency and an increased risk of diabetes has been described in India. Insufficient intake of specific fatty acids, such as docosahexanoic acid, may also impede children’s development, (World Health Organisation, 2012).

THE SOUTH AFRICAN CHILD SUPPORT GRANT IMPACT ASSESSMENT

The results of this study identify the positive developmental impact of the Child Support Grant (CSG) in promoting nutritional, educational and health outcomes.

Early receipt significantly strengthens a number of these important impacts, providing an investment in people that reduces multiple dimension indicators of poverty, promotes better gender outcomes and reduces inequality. The study also finds that adolescents receiving the Child Support Grant are more likely to have some positive educational outcomes, are somewhat less likely to experience child labour, and are significantly less likely to engage in behaviours that put their health and well-being at serious risk.

These results convey several key messages:
The Child Support Grant generates positive developmental impact that multiplies its benefits in terms of directly reducing poverty and vulnerability;
Early enrolment in the Child Support Grant programme substantially strengthens impacts. Promoting continuous access to the CSG for eligible children through adolescence would help to maximise the potential benefits of the grant.

Receipt of the grant by adolescents generates a range of positive impacts, not least of which is the reduction in risky behaviours, which in the context of high HIV prevalence, generates a particularly protective impact. (DSD, SASSA and UNICEF. 2012. The South African Child Support Grant Impact Assessment: Evidence from a survey of children, adolescents and their households. Pretoria: UNICEF South Africa)
Be blessed!