“I cry every day and night, I have my son tied in chains”: Physical restraint of people with schizophrenia in community settings in Ethiopia
Background: A primary rationale for scaling up mental health services in low and middle-income countries is to address human rights violations, including physical restraint in community settings. The voices of those with intimate experiences of restraint, in particular people with mental illness and their families, are rarely heard. The aim of this study was to […]
Socio-economic determinants of ownership and use of treated bed nets in Nigeria: Results from a cross-sectional study in Cross River and Bauchi States in 2011
Background: Poor people bear a disproportionate burden of malaria and prevention measures may not reach them well. A study carried out to examine the socio-economic factors associated with ownership and use of treated bed nets in Cross River and Bauchi States of Nigeria took place soon after campaigns to distribute treated bed nets. Methods. A […]
High proportion of unknown HIV exposure status among children aged less than 2 years: An analytical study using the 2015 National AIDS Indicator Survey in Mozambique
Background Determination of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) exposure status in infants and young children is required to guarantee timely diagnosis and access to appropriate care. HIV prevalence among Mozambican women aged 15-49 years is 15%, and vertical transmission rate is still high. The study investigated HIV exposure in children aged less than 2 years […]
Does frequency of supportive supervisory visits influence health service delivery?—Dose and response study
High quality care—at a minimum—is a combination of the availability of tangible resources as well as a capable and motivated health workforce. Researchers have suggested that supportive supervision can increase both the performance and motivation of health workers and the quality of care. This study is aimed at assessing the required number of visits and […]
Impact of refugees on local health systems: A difference-in-differences analysis in Cameroon
Hosting refugees may represent a drain on local resources, particularly since external aid is frequently insufficient. Between 2004 and 2011, over 100,000 refugees settled in the eastern border of Cameroon. With little known on how refugee influx affects health services of the hosting community, we investigated the impact of refugees on mother and child health […]
Drivers of under-five stunting trend in 14 low-and middle-income countries since the turn of the millennium: A multilevel pooled analysis of 50 demographic and health surveys
Background: Understanding the drivers contributing to the decreasing trend in stunting is paramount to meeting the World Health Assembly’s global target of 40% stunting reduction by 2025. Methods: We pooled data from 50 Demographic and Health Surveys since 2000 in 14 countries to examine the relationships between the stunting trend and potential factors at distal, […]
Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and rhesus disease of the newborn: Incidence and impairment estimates for 2010 at regional and global levels
Background: Rhesus (Rh) disease and extreme hyperbilirubinemia (EHB) result in neonatal mortality and long-term neurodevelopmental impairment, yet there are no estimates of their burden. Methods: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses were undertaken of national prevalence, mortality, and kernicterus due to Rh disease and EHB. We applied a compartmental model to estimate neonatal survivors and impairment cases […]
Mobile phone-delivered reminders and incentives to improve childhood immunisation coverage and timeliness in Kenya (M-SIMU): a cluster randomised controlled trial
Background As mobile phone access continues to expand globally, opportunities exist to leverage these technologies to support demand for immunisation services and improve vaccine coverage. We aimed to assess whether short message service (SMS) reminders and monetary incentives can improve immunisation uptake in Kenya. Methods In this cluster-randomised controlled trial, villages were randomly and evenly […]
Factors influencing rapid progress in child health in post-conflict Liberia: A mixed methods country case study on progress in child survival, 2000-2013
Objectives Only 12 countries in the WHO’s African region met Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4) to reduce under-five mortality by two-thirds by 2015. Given the variability across the African region, a four-country mixed methods study was undertaken to examine barriers and facilitators of child survival prior to 2015. Liberia was selected for an in-depth […]
Food insecurity is associated with attitudes towards exclusive breastfeeding among women in urban Kenya
This study aimed to document whether food insecurity was associated with beliefs and attitudes towards exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) among urban Kenyan women. We conducted structured interviews with 75 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-affected and 75 HIV-status unknown, low-income women who were either pregnant or with a child ≤24months and residing in Nakuru, Kenya to generate categorical […]
