Group antenatal care, which integrates medical examinations with community-based health education, is reshaping maternal health outcomes across sub-Saharan Africa. A comprehensive systematic review analyzing 42,234 women across 34 studies, published in BMJ Global Health, demonstrates that this approach significantly enhances prenatal visit completion and postpartum care engagement. Women receiving group-based care were 45% more likely to complete four or more antenatal visits compared to standard individual care models. Beyond attendance metrics, the intervention yielded substantial improvements in postpartum family planning uptake—rising by 85%—alongside documented gains in birth weight outcomes and health literacy. Participants also reported enhanced psychosocial wellbeing and high satisfaction with the group format. These findings underscore the effectiveness of combining clinical care with structured education in resource-limited settings, offering a scalable, evidence-based model for strengthening maternal health systems. Read the full article on GMJ Newsroom.
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