An assessment of current antenatal care practices and identification of modifiable risk factors for prematurity and low birth weight infants in pregnancy in Solomon Islands

[Extract] Solomon Islands is a sovereign country located 2000 km north-east of Brisbane and of the eastern tip of Papua New Guinea. The country consists of an archipelago of hundreds of islands spread over 11 000 km2. Makira-Ulawa is a remote province 200 km east of Honiara. It has a rapidly growing population of approximately 40 000 with an estimated fertility rate of 6.2 births per woman. Solomon Islands is a poor country with over 50% of its gross domestic income dependent on foreign aid. There are very few resources available for health care with just over AU$100 available for each person for health care or less than 2% of what is spent on health care in Australia.

KiraKira is the provincial capital of Makira-Ulawa province. It is a small rural township of approximately 3000 people. It has the only hospital in the province, which is staffed by a single government-employed medical doctor, supported by approximately 40 nurses and midwives. There has been no previous published data on health outcomes in Solomon Islands outside of the National referral hospital in Honiara.