Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health
Maternal, neonatal, and child health (MNCH) is the field within global health concerned with the survival, health, and wellbeing of women during pregnancy and childbirth, of newborns in their first days of life, and of children through the early years. It links the closely connected risks of the perinatal period to the broader agenda of reducing preventable deaths across the continuum of care from pre-pregnancy to childhood.
Definition
Maternal, neonatal, and child health is the domain of global and public health addressing the determinants, burden, and prevention of avoidable death and ill-health among mothers, newborns, and children, together with the reproductive health services that underpin them.
Scope
This area orients the reader to the principal MNCH topics: maternal mortality and morbidity, child nutrition and growth, child survival interventions, and reproductive health and family planning. It frames how these domains connect across the life course and the continuum of care, and how progress is measured against global targets such as the Sustainable Development Goals. It is a reference overview, not clinical guidance.
Sub-topics
Core questions
- What are the principal causes of maternal, neonatal, and child death, and how do they differ across settings?
- Which interventions across the continuum of care most reduce preventable deaths, and at what coverage?
- How is progress in maternal and child survival measured and compared across countries and over time?
- How do reproductive health and family planning connect to maternal and child survival?
Key concepts
- Continuum of care (pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, childbirth, postnatal, childhood)
- Maternal mortality ratio
- Under-five and neonatal mortality rates
- Burden of disease and avoidable mortality
- Coverage and equity of essential interventions
- Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3)
Clinical relevance
The topics in this area describe how the health of mothers, newborns, and children is measured and protected at the population level. They are reference material for understanding global health priorities and evidence; they do not provide individual diagnostic or treatment recommendations.
Epidemiology
Maternal and child deaths are heavily concentrated in low- and middle-income countries and have fallen substantially since 1990, though progress has been uneven. Global Burden of Disease analyses document large reductions in maternal mortality alongside persisting disparities (Kassebaum, 2016), and child-survival analyses attribute most deaths to a small set of preventable causes (Jones, 2003). Undernutrition is an underlying contributor to a large share of child deaths (Black, 2008).
Evidence & guidelines
Much of the global evidence base comes from systematic analyses in The Lancet's maternal and child survival and nutrition series and from Global Burden of Disease estimates, complemented by World Health Organization normative guidance. These sources frame which interventions are prioritised and how survival targets are set.
History
MNCH consolidated as a coordinated global agenda through the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs 4 and 5, 2000-2015), which set explicit targets for reducing child and maternal mortality, and continued under the Sustainable Development Goals from 2015. The Lancet child-survival, neonatal-survival, and nutrition series helped synthesise the evidence behind these targets.
Key figures
- Robert E. Black
- Zulfiqar A. Bhutta
- Nicholas J. Kassebaum
Related topics
Seminal works
- kassebaum-2016
- black-2008
- jones-2003
Frequently asked questions
- What does MNCH stand for?
- Maternal, neonatal, and child health, a field of global health covering the survival and wellbeing of women during pregnancy and childbirth, newborns, and children.
- Why are maternal, neonatal, and child health treated together?
- Their risks are biologically and socially linked across the continuum of care, and the same health systems, interventions, and reproductive services affect all three groups, so addressing them together is more effective.