Family networks and infant health promotion: A mixed-methods evaluation from a cluster randomised controlled trial in rural Malawi
Objective Parents may rely on information provided by extended family members when making decisions concerning the health of their children. We evaluate whether extended family members affected the success of an information intervention promoting infant health. Methods This is a secondary, sequential mixed-methods study based on a cluster randomised controlled trial of a peer-led home-education […]
Women empowerment and health insurance utilisation in Rwanda: a nationwide cross-sectional survey
Background: Health insurance coverage is one of the several measures being implemented to reduce the inequity in access to quality health services among vulnerable groups. Although women’s empowerment has been viewed as a cost-effective strategy for the reduction of maternal and child morbidity and mortality, as it enables women to tackle the barriers to accessing […]
Sustainable under nutrition reduction program and dietary diversity among children’s aged 6-23 months, Northwest Ethiopia: Comparative cross-sectional study
Introduction: Adequate dietary diversity is vital for the survival, growth and development of infants and children. Inadequate dietary diversity is the major cause of micronutrient deficiency in Sub-saharan Africa, including Ethiopia, where only less than one-fourth of the children aged 6-23 months obtain adequate diversified diet. Thus country implemented a strategy known as the Sustainable […]
Determinants of health facility delivery among young mothers aged 15 – 24 years in Nigeria: a multilevel analysis of the 2018 Nigeria demographic and health survey
Background: Young mothers aged 15 to 24 years are particularly at higher risk of adverse health outcomes during childbirth. Delivery in health facilities by skilled birth attendants can help reduce this risk and lower maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. This study assessed the determinants of health facility delivery among young Nigerian women. Methods: A nationally […]
Prevalence and correlates of HIV testing among adolescents 10-19 years in a post-conflict pastoralist community of Karamoja region, Uganda
Background: Adolescents are a priority group in HIV prevention and treatment. This study sought to determine the prevalence and correlates of HIV testing services (HTS) among adolescents in the pastoralist post-conflict area of Karamoja sub region, Uganda. Methods: A cross sectional study of 1439 adolescents aged 10-19 years, attending nine public health facilities in five […]
Incomplete childhood immunization in Nigeria: A multilevel analysis of individual and contextual factors
Background: Under-five mortality remains high in sub-Saharan Africa despite global decline. One quarter of these deaths are preventable through interventions such as immunization. The aim of this study was to examine the independent effects of individual-, community- and state-level factors on incomplete childhood immunization in Nigeria, which is one of the 10 countries where most […]
Child growth in urban deprived settings: Does household poverty status matter? At which stage of child development?
This paper uses longitudinal data from two informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya to examine patterns of child growth and how these are affected by four different dimensions of poverty at the household level namely, expenditures poverty, assets poverty, food poverty, and subjective poverty. The descriptive results show a grim picture, with the prevalence of overall […]
A tale of ‘politics and stars aligning’: Analysing the sustainability of scaled up digital tools for front-line health workers in India
Introduction India has become a lighthouse for large-scale digital innovation in the health sector, particularly for front-line health workers (FLHWs). However, among scaled digital health solutions, ensuring sustainability remains elusive. This study explores the factors underpinning scale-up of digital health solutions for FLHWs in India, and the potential implications of these factors for sustainability. Methods […]
Estimating the spatial accessibility to blood group and rhesus type point-of-care testing for maternal healthcare in Ghana
Background: In Ghana, a blood group and rhesus type test is one of the essential recommended screening tests for women during antenatal care since blood transfusion is a key intervention for haemorrhage. We estimated the spatial accessibility to health facilities for blood group and type point-of-care (POC) testing in the Upper East Region (UER), Ghana. […]
HIV-exposed infant follow-up in Mozambique: Formative research findings for the design of a cluster randomized controlled trial to improve testing and ART initiation
Background: Early infant diagnosis (EID) of HIV-exposed and initiation of HIV-positive infants on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) requires a well-coordinated cascade of care. Loss-to-follow-up (LTFU) can occur at multiple steps and effective EID is impeded by human resource constraints, difficulty with patient tracking, and long waiting periods. The objective of this research was to conduct formative […]
