Table 1. Characteristics of the studies and populations included in the analysis.

Characteristics	India	Bangladesh	Nepal
Location	Three districts of Jharkhand and Orissa (eastern India): Keonjhar, West Singhbhum, and Saraikela	Three rural districts: Bogra, Maulvibazaar, and Faridpur	Makwanpur district
Study period	July 31, 2005 to July 30, 2008	Feb 1, 2005 to Dec 31, 2007	cRCT: Nov 1, 2001 to Oct 31, 2003. Intervention roll-out: 2003–2007
Study design	cRCT, open cohort.	Factorial design, cRCT, open cohort.	cRCT, matched design and closed cohort. Post cRCT, roll-out of intervention into control clusters.
Cluster characteristics	8–10 villages with residents classified as tribal or OBC.	Villages making up a union.	Village Development Committees.
n clusters analysed	18	5	18
Participants	Women aged between 15 and 49 y who had given birth in study period and their infants.	Women aged between 15 and 49 y who had given birth in study period and their infants.	Women aged between 15 and 49 y, married, and with potential to become pregnant in study period and their infants.
n births analysed	6,841	7,041	5,872
Neonatal mortality rate prior to intervention (per 1,000 live births)	58a	41b	60b
Contents of clean delivery kits	Soap, razor, plastic sheet, string, gauze. Instructions available in government kits only.	Soap, razor, plastic sheet, string, gauze. Instructions available in government kits only.	Soap, razor, plastic sheet, string, gauze. Plastic coin to use as surface to cut the cord. Instructions available in government kits only.
Individual clean delivery practices recorded separately from kit use	Hand washing, use of boiled blade to cut cord, type of cord care (dry or other), use of boiled thread to tie the cord, use of plastic sheet, and use of gloves.	Hand washing, use of boiled blade to cut cord, type of cord care (dry or other), use of boiled thread to tie the cord, use of plastic sheet, and use of gloves.	Hand washing, use of boiled blade to cut cord, type of cord care (dry or other).
Concurrent activities to promote clean delivery practices and kit use	In both intervention and control areas, strengthening the activities of village health and sanitation committees.	Training was provided to nurses, doctors, and paramedical staff in essential newborn care, including the six cleans.	Health service strengthening across intervention and control areas included training of all health workers on the six cleans.

^aNeonatal mortality rate from cRCT baseline data.

^bNeonatal mortality rate from district health survey data.

OBC, other backward class.