Access For All: Volume 2: What factors influence access to community-based treatment of severe acute malnutrition?
Volume 2 of the Access for All series aimed to contribute to the emerging body of evidence on barriers to SAM treatment services by offering insights and experiences related to the top community-level barriers.
1st January 2013
Coverage Monitoring Network
This volume examined over 40 coverage assessments carried out by the Coverage Monitoring Network (CMN) in over 20 countries to identify common barriers to access and understand how these vary according to programmes and contexts. Next, the public health literature was reviewed to determine whether these barriers were unique to SAM treatment services. Finally, the volume incorporated findings from three country case studies in Ethiopia, Kenya and Pakistan, designed to provide complementary qualitative data and analysis on access to community-based SAM treatment, and giving a human perspective on barriers and their effect on the lives of those seeking care.
The analysis carried out on CMN-supported coverage assessments (n=44) found that the five most frequently reported barriers to access across all interventions were:
1. Lack of knowledge of malnutrition
2. Lack of knowledge of the programme
3. High opportunity costs
4. Distance to site
5. Previous rejection.