Seeking Maternal Care at Times of Conflict: The Case of Lebanon

Abstract

Providing quality maternity care within the emergency care packages for internally displaced populations in war-affected areas is somewhat challenging, although very essential. In this retrospective study, we describe the experiences and health care seeking behaviors of 1,015 pregnant and postpartum women during the 2006 war in Lebanon. Women reported interruptions in regular maternity care and experienced more complications during this period. Availability of health services and experiences of complications were the most important determinants of health care seeking behaviors. Maternal health services should be a part of any comprehensive emergency responsiveness plan, catering to women's needs in war-affected areas.

Acknowledgments

We thank the United Nations Fund for Populations (UNFPA) for their funding, Maria Atoui El-Hajj for supervising fieldwork, and Ziyad Mahfoud for statistical advice.