International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health | 2015 | Vol 4 | Issue 6 799 Access this article online Website: http://www.ijmsph.com Quick Response Code: DOI: 10.5455/ijmsph.2015.26022015163 Research Article Effectiveness of the Health Awareness Community Team intervention in improving the maternal and neonatal health status in Mandailing Natal (Madina) district, Sumatera Utara, Indonesia Siti Saidah Nasution 1 , Badaruddin Badaruddin 2 , Guslihan Dasatjipta 3 , Zulhaida Lubis 4 1 Faculty of Health, University of Sumatera Utara, Indonesia. 2 Faculty of Social Science, Cultural Department, University of Sumatera Utara, Indonesia. 3 Faculty of Medicine, Pediatric Department, University of Sumatera Utara, Indonesia. 4 Faculty of Public Health, Nutrition Department, University of Sumatera Utara, Indonesia. Correspondence to: Siti Saidah Nasution, E-mail: saidah.nasution@yahoo.com Received February 26, 2015. Accepted March 4, 2015 Introduction The government’s purpose of achievement in the feld of health is in line with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Program for 2015, and one of them is to improve the health status of mother and child through minimizing the maternal and infant mortality rate. The progress in minimizing the maternal and infant mortality rate must involve all aspects, Background: Behavior that can infuence the status of the health cannot be separated from the cultural habits, particularly in activities such as care and treatment of diseases. Mandailing Natal (Madina) district is one of the regions with high maternal and neonatal mortality rate in Sumatera Indonesia. The life of its community is very much infuenced by their tradition and culture. Objective: To determine intervention effectiveness in improving the maternal and neonatal health status. Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study with an intervention involving the community members in health education counseling care was conducted with emphasis on local culture and education using local languages. The program was implemented from March to August 2014. The study population included all pregnant mothers in Madina district. The sample comprised 78 mothers selected through purposive sampling technique. The data were obtained through survey using a questionnaire. Result: The intervention used by the Health Awareness Community Team signifcantly improved the health status of mothers and neonatal, obtaining a p-value of <0.05. The health status consisted frequency antenatal care, hemoglobin of pregnant mother, infant and maternal morbidity rate, birth attendant, health center, and pregnancy high-risk detection. Conclusion: Intervention has an impact on improving public health, especially for mothers and their babies, through health care. The government and health workers should involve the community members in the implementation of health program and pay attention to local culture. KEY WORDS: Health, culture, community Abstract International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health Online 2015. © 2015 Siti Saidah Nasution. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially, provided the original work is properly cited and states its license.