Improving lives by accelerating progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals for adolescents living with HIV: a prospective cohort study
Background: Low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) face major challenges in achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for vulnerable adolescents. We aimed to test the UN Development Programme’s proposed approach of development accelerators—provisions that lead to progress across multiple SDGs—and synergies between accelerators on achieving SDG-aligned targets in a highly vulnerable group of adolescents in […]
Impact of Birthing Room Design on Maternal Childbirth Experience: Results From the Room4Birth Randomized Trial
Objective: To study the effect of the birthing room design on nulliparous women’s childbirth experience up to 1 year after birth. Background: Although it is known that the birth environment can support or hinder birth processes, the impact of the birthing room design on maternal childbirth experience over time is insufficiently studied. Methods: The Room4Birth […]
Psychological wellbeing in a resource-limited work environment: Examining levels and determinants among health workers in rural Malawi
Background: A competent, responsive, and productive health workforce is central to a well-performing health system capable of providing universal access to high-quality care. Ensuring health workers’ psychological wellbeing is critical to sustaining their availability and productivity. This is particularly true in heavily constrained health systems in low- and lower-middle-income countries. Research on the issue, however, […]
Universal health coverage and the poor: to what extent are health financing policies making a difference? Evidence from a benefit incidence analysis in Zambia
Background: Zambia has invested in several healthcare financing reforms aimed at achieving universal access to health services. Several evaluations have investigated the effects of these reforms on the utilization of health services. However, only one study has assessed the distributional incidence of health spending across different socioeconomic groups, but without differentiating between public and overall […]
Expanding contraceptive options for PMTCT clients: A mixed methods implementation study in Cape Town, South Africa
Background: Clients of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services in South Africa who use contraception following childbirth rely primarily on short-acting methods like condoms, pills, and injectables, even when they desire no future pregnancies. Evidence is needed on strategies for expanding contraceptive options for postpartum PMTCT clients to include long-acting and permanent methods. Methods. We […]
Intestinal parasitosis, anaemia and risk factors among pre-school children in Tigray region, northern Ethiopia
Background: Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) and anaemia are major health problems. This study assessed the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections, anaemia and associated factors among pre-school children in rural areas of the Tigray region, northern Ethiopia. Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted among 610 pre-school children in rural communities of Northern Ethiopia from […]
What makes orphans in Kigali, Rwanda, non-adherent to antiretroviral therapy? Perspectives of their caregivers
Introduction: Every year, approximately 260,000 children are infected with HIV in low- and middle-income countries. The timely initiation and high level of maintenance of antiretroviral therapy (ART) are crucial to reducing the suffering of HIV-positive children. We need to develop a better understanding of the background of children’s ART non-adherence because it is not well […]
Risk factors associated with poor health outcomes for children under the age of 5 with moderate acute malnutrition in rural fagita lekoma district, Awi Zone, Amhara, Ethiopia, 2016
Background: Left untreated, moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) in children can lead to severe acute malnutrition, stunting, developmental delays, and death. Despite recent progress the prevalence of malnutrition remains high throughout Ethiopia. The ability to make accurate prognoses and develop effective treatment strategies for children with MAM is currently limited and, as result, a significant proportion […]
Self-reported continuity and coordination of antenatal care and its association with obstetric near miss in Uasin Gishu county, Kenya
Background: Continuity and coordination of care are core principles of high-quality primary health care. Optimising continuity and coordination improves maternal satisfaction. However, their association with morbidity and mortality outcomes is unclear. The obstetric near-miss approach can be used to investigate whether continuity and coordination influences the occurrence of a severe maternal outcome. Aim: To compare […]
Addressing child undernutrition in Tanzania with the ASTUTE program
Background: Optimal infant and young child feeding practices (IYCFP) reduce childhood stunting and are associated with additional health benefits. In Tanzania, IYCFP are far from optimal where 32% of children under the age of 5 years are stunted. The purpose of this study was to examine whether behavior change communication focused on reducing child undernutrition was […]
