Maternal, infant and child health and health services

Maternal and child health and care programme

We have an active programme of research into aspects of maternal, infant and child health and health services. Our work is centred on the Departments of Midwifery and Child Health, but also includes collaboration with colleagues in other departments at City University London, including Sociology, Interprofessional Practice, Public Health, the Centre for Food Policy and the European Centre for Social Surveys. We also collaborate closely with researchers and practitioners locally, nationally and internationally.

Our key research themes

We aim to develop, synthesise and support the translation of, evidence from all relevant sources to enhance health and care for women, children and families, and to inform child health and midwifery practice and education.

Our key research themes are:

• Equity and access to services (including ethnic and social diversity)
• Safety and quality of services (service organisation, delivery & culture)
• Medicalisation of childbirth, normal birth & maternal and infant wellbeing
• Public health and health promotion: improving reproductive, maternal and child health, including, tackling inequalities in health, mental health and nutrition
• Patient/professional relationships , collaborative working and informed choice
• Education of health professionals.

Programme scope

Our research programme focuses on critical analysis of the provision of maternal, infant and child health services, on the experiences of women, children and families, and on population-based perspectives on pregnancy and its outcome. This includes research on the organisation and delivery of health care, inequalities in health and equity of access to care and the evaluation of clinical and educational practice, including the implementation of evidence-based practice. Specific areas of interest in maternal and infant health are settings for birth, postnatal care, community-based maternity care, evaluation of care for disadvantaged groups, international maternal health, cultural issues in maternity services and the history of maternity care and its evaluation. In child health, key areas of interest include evidence for and implementation of interventions to tackle child health inequalities, children's and families' views/experiences of health and public health services, and the development of partnership approaches to care with children and families, especially in the context of long-term conditions.

We combine research of international standing and scope with collaboration with local NHS and related organisations in research of local as well as international relevance and impact, and to increase research capacity in the field of Midwifery and Child Health.

In doing this research, we use a range of methods including qualitative methods, cross-cultural research including bilingual interviewing and survey work, surveys, linkage, secondary analysis and interpretation of routine data, other quantitative methods, systematic reviews, experimental methods, epidemiological and historical research.