Two Worlds

For a pregnant woman anticipating the birth of her first child, the weeks leading up to labor are inevitably filled with hopeful thoughts as well as uncertainty about what lies ahead. Yet for women in developing nations—far more so than in wealthy countries like those in North America and Europe—there is also reason to be fearful. One in five African women, for instance, will lose a baby during labor or soon after. And each year, hundreds of thousands of women in Africa will themselves die or suffer debilitating injuries during pregnancy and childbirth. In this quiz, get a sense of the stark disparities in maternal health for women in rich and poor countries.—Susan K. Lewis

1. In Ethiopia, a third of the population lives on less than the equivalent of $1 U.S. per day. What is the life expectancy for a baby girl born in Ethiopia?

1. 33 years
2. 50 years
3. 80 years

2. What is the leading cause of death for women ages 15-49 in developing countries?

1. HIV/AIDS
2. Malaria
3. Complications of pregnancy or childbirth

3. In the United States, the chances of a woman dying from pregnancy- or childbirth-related causes are 1 in 4,800. In sub-Saharan Africa, what are a woman's odds of dying from such maternal causes?

1. 1 in 22
2. 1 in 61
3. 1 in 140

4. If all women were adequately nourished and received appropriate medical care from early pregnancy through the post-delivery period, what percentage of newborn deaths could be prevented?

1. nearly one-third
2. nearly one-half  
3. nearly three-quarters

5. Women giving birth while still in their teens face substantial risks of injury during labor. What percentage of women in sub-Saharan Africa give birth by age 18?

1. 14 percent
2. 28 percent
3. 48 percent

6. Across all developing nations, what percentage of married women ages 15-49 use modern methods of contraception for family planning?

1. 16 percent
2. 56 percent
3. 68 percent

7. In the United States, the average number of births per woman is 2.1. What is the average number of births per woman in Ethiopia?

1. 3.2
2. 5.4
3. 6.6

8. Throughout the developed world, skilled personnel—doctors, nurses, and/or midwives—oversee 99 percent of births. In Ethiopia, such professionals are present for what percentage of births?

1. 1 percent
2. 6 percent
3. 57 percent

9. In Ethiopia, about 100,000 women suffer from fistulas—childbirth injuries that leave them incontinent. These women are generally abandoned by their husbands and socially ostracized. In 2007, how many fistula cases were there in the United States?

1. none
2. 68
3. 420

10. At the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia's capital, how much does it cost to treat a fistula patient?

1. $450
2. $800
3. $2,500

11. To close the gap between rich and poor nations in terms of maternal health, which of the following is most critical for developing countries?

1. micro-lending
2. improving sanitation
3. educating girls and young women

Answers

A Walk to Beautiful

• The Producer's Story
• Second Chances
• Two Worlds
• Anatomy of Childbirth
• Watch the Program