Astrid Christoffersen‐deb
Biographic Data
| ID | 89456 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Astrid Christoffersen‐deb |
| GIVEN NAMES | Astrid |
| FAMILY NAME | Christoffersen‐deb |
| SIGNATURE | DEB A C |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of British Columbia |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3897-8907 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 8 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 23 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 8 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2005 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
“There is a light that our wives had not seen before”
The Chamas for Change (Chamas) program is an innovative three-year community-based gender-responsive intervention in Western Kenya. During this period, the program provides peer support, microfinance initiatives, and health education to pregnant women. A randomized control trial demonstrated significant improvements in maternal and child health outcomes for program participants. This qualitative study explored community perceptions of the program…
Effects of a gender-responsive maternal, newborn and child health program on health and economic outcomes during Covid-19 in Kenya
The Chamas program effectively sustained maternal and child health practices during the COVID-19 pandemic through adapted CHW support but showed limited ability to protect members from economic hardship. This demonstrates both the resilience and limitations of community-based interventions during widespread crises. Our results highlight the need for robust governmental support and social protection measures to address underlying economic vulnerab…
The epidemiology and risk factors for postnatal complications among postpartum women and newborns in southwestern Uganda
Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for two-thirds of the global burden of maternal and newborn deaths. Adverse outcomes among postpartum women and newborns occurring in the first six weeks of life are often related, though data co-examining patients are limited. This study is an exploratory analysis describing the epidemiology of postnatal complications among postpartum women and newborns following facility birth and discharge in Mbarara, Uganda. This s…
It was hell in the community’
We found that the impacts of strikes by health care workers in 2017 extended beyond negative health and economic effects and exacerbated fundamental inequities in the health system. While this study was conducted in one County, our findings suggest several potential avenues for strengthening maternal and child health care in Kenya that were highlighted by nationwide strikes in 2017
Improving maternal, newborn and child health outcomes through a community-based women’s health education program
INTRODUCTION: Community-based women's health education groups may improve maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH); however, evidence from sub-Saharan Africa is lacking. Chamas for Change (Chamas) is a community health volunteer (CHV)-led, group-based health education programme for pregnant and postpartum women in western Kenya. We evaluated Chamas' effect on facility-based deliveries and other MNCH outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a cluster rand…
Leveraging the power of partnerships
BACKGROUND: The Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) has been a model academic partnership in global health for nearly three decades, leveraging the power of a public-sector academic medical center and the tripartite academic mission - service, education, and research - to the challenges of delivering health care in a low-income setting. Drawing our mandate from the health needs of the population, we have scaled up service deliv…
Viability
This article addresses birth and the recognition of personhood. It is about the calculated acts of recognition that take place at the beginnings of life when the obligation to protect and extend physical care is uncertain. It examines these dilemmas from the perspective of clinicians and scientists who assist in birth through their work with embryos, fetuses, and extremely premature infants in the United States. Through multisited ethnography and…
Taming Tradition
This article considers the question of female genital practices at the hands of health workers in western Kenya. Recent articles inMedical Anthropology Quarterlyhave critically engaged with the biomedical arguments condemning such practices. This article studies the case of medicalized circumcision in which biomedical concerns over health risks have become incorporated in their vernacular practice. Although some suggest that medicalization may pr…
Viability
This article addresses birth and the recognition of personhood. It is about the calculated acts of recognition that take place at the beginnings of life when the obligation to protect and extend physical care is uncertain. It examines these dilemmas from the perspective of clinicians and scientists who assist in birth through their work with embryos, fetuses, and extremely premature infants in the United States. Through multisited ethnography and…
Taming Tradition
This article considers the question of female genital practices at the hands of health workers in western Kenya. Recent articles inMedical Anthropology Quarterlyhave critically engaged with the biomedical arguments condemning such practices. This article studies the case of medicalized circumcision in which biomedical concerns over health risks have become incorporated in their vernacular practice. Although some suggest that medicalization may pr…
Taming Tradition
This article considers the question of female genital practices at the hands of health workers in western Kenya. Recent articles inMedical Anthropology Quarterlyhave critically engaged with the biomedical arguments condemning such practices. This article studies the case of medicalized circumcision in which biomedical concerns over health risks have become incorporated in their vernacular practice. Although some suggest that medicalization may pr…
Viability
This article addresses birth and the recognition of personhood. It is about the calculated acts of recognition that take place at the beginnings of life when the obligation to protect and extend physical care is uncertain. It examines these dilemmas from the perspective of clinicians and scientists who assist in birth through their work with embryos, fetuses, and extremely premature infants in the United States. Through multisited ethnography and…
Leveraging the power of partnerships
BACKGROUND: The Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) has been a model academic partnership in global health for nearly three decades, leveraging the power of a public-sector academic medical center and the tripartite academic mission - service, education, and research - to the challenges of delivering health care in a low-income setting. Drawing our mandate from the health needs of the population, we have scaled up service deliv…
Improving maternal, newborn and child health outcomes through a community-based women’s health education program
INTRODUCTION: Community-based women's health education groups may improve maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH); however, evidence from sub-Saharan Africa is lacking. Chamas for Change (Chamas) is a community health volunteer (CHV)-led, group-based health education programme for pregnant and postpartum women in western Kenya. We evaluated Chamas' effect on facility-based deliveries and other MNCH outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a cluster rand…
It was hell in the community’
We found that the impacts of strikes by health care workers in 2017 extended beyond negative health and economic effects and exacerbated fundamental inequities in the health system. While this study was conducted in one County, our findings suggest several potential avenues for strengthening maternal and child health care in Kenya that were highlighted by nationwide strikes in 2017
The epidemiology and risk factors for postnatal complications among postpartum women and newborns in southwestern Uganda
Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for two-thirds of the global burden of maternal and newborn deaths. Adverse outcomes among postpartum women and newborns occurring in the first six weeks of life are often related, though data co-examining patients are limited. This study is an exploratory analysis describing the epidemiology of postnatal complications among postpartum women and newborns following facility birth and discharge in Mbarara, Uganda. This s…
Effects of a gender-responsive maternal, newborn and child health program on health and economic outcomes during Covid-19 in Kenya
The Chamas program effectively sustained maternal and child health practices during the COVID-19 pandemic through adapted CHW support but showed limited ability to protect members from economic hardship. This demonstrates both the resilience and limitations of community-based interventions during widespread crises. Our results highlight the need for robust governmental support and social protection measures to address underlying economic vulnerab…
“There is a light that our wives had not seen before”
The Chamas for Change (Chamas) program is an innovative three-year community-based gender-responsive intervention in Western Kenya. During this period, the program provides peer support, microfinance initiatives, and health education to pregnant women. A randomized control trial demonstrated significant improvements in maternal and child health outcomes for program participants. This qualitative study explored community perceptions of the program…
Medicine (6 works) · Global Maternal and Child Health (5 works) · Public health (5 works) · Community health (3 works) · Environmental health (3 works) · Health Policy (3 works) · Nursing (3 works) · Political science (3 works) · Sociology (3 works) · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (2 works)