Table 1.
Characteristics of Village Development Committees in which focus group discussions were held
| Village Development Committee | Women’s groups intervention cluster | NMR (Aug 2006-Jun 2009) | Percentage Muslim | Percentage Madheshi (Maithilli-speaking) ethnicity | Percentage Dalit | Distance from Janakpur municipality and the zonal hospital |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mukhiyapatti |
Yes |
24.3 |
10.5 |
95.3 |
11.8 |
Difficult access by road which is prone to flooding |
| Phulgama |
Yes |
37.2 |
1.9 |
95.7 |
19.8 |
Easy access |
| Basaiya |
No |
26.1 |
17.5 |
91. 4 |
31.1 |
Easy access, borders Janakpur |
| Lohana |
Yes |
18.1 |
52.3 |
95.0 |
20.4 |
Easy access as it borders the municipality |
| Sakuwa Mahendranagar |
No |
30.9 |
15.5 |
90.3 |
24.3 |
Easy road access by bus |
| Mansingpatti |
No |
37.2 |
0.3 |
97.5 |
26.3 |
Easy access |
| Dhalkebar |
Yes |
37.8 |
0.4 |
78.6 |
10.4 |
Easy road access by bus |
| Sapahi |
No |
42.8 |
13.2 |
97.8 |
19.3 |
Easy road access by bus |
| Bharatpur |
Yes |
43.5 |
14.5 |
71.8 |
23.4 |
Easy road access by bus but far |
| Thadi Jhija | Yes | 61.6 | 31.1 | 92.2 | 40.7 | Far but has train access |
Notes: data are taken from the Dhanusha cRCT database; NMR, neonatal mortality rate per 1000 livebirths.