Characterizing potential risks of fecal–oral microbial transmission for infants and young children in Rural Zambia
Undernourished children in low-income contexts often suffer from environmental enteric disorder—damage to the intestines probably caused by chronic exposure to bacterial pathogens from feces. We aimed to identify strategies for reducing infants and young children’s (IYC) exposure to human and animal feces in rural farming families by conducting direct observation of 30 caregiver–infant dyads for […]
Co-design and implementation of a mHealth intervention targeting fathers and mothers to improve breastfeeding
Background: Evidence has shown that SMS text message-based health education is effective in improving exclusive breastfeeding. However, there is limited evidence on the development and design of SMS messaging intervention targeting fathers and mothers. Method: This is the formative assessment and intervention design for a larger trial targeting both fathers and mothers for breastfeeding support […]
Whether weather matters: Evidence of association between in utero meteorological exposures and foetal growth among Indigenous and non-Indigenous mothers in rural Uganda
Pregnancy and birth outcomes have been found to be sensitive to meteorological variation, yet few studies explore this relationship in sub-Saharan Africa where infant mortality rates are the highest in the world. We address this research gap by examining the association between meteorological factors and birth weight in a rural population in southwestern Uganda. Our […]
Playing the catch-up game: Accelerating the scale-up of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services to eliminate new pediatric HIV infection in Nigeria
Introduction As the world is making progress towards elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, poor coverage of PMTCT services in Nigeria remains a major challenge. In order to address this, scale-up was planned with activities organized into 3 phases. This paper describes the process undertaken in eight high burden Nigerian states to rapidly close PMTCT […]
Assessment of equity in healthcare financing in Fiji and Timor-Leste: A study protocol
Introduction: Equitable health financing remains a key health policy objective worldwide. In low and middle-income countries (LMICs), there is evidence that many people are unable to access the health services they need due to financial and other barriers. There are growing calls for fairer health financing systems that will protect people from catastrophic and impoverishing […]
Effectiveness of participatory community solutions strategy on improving household and provider health care behaviors and practices: A mixed-method evaluation
Introduction We implemented a participatory quality improvement strategy in eight primary health care units of Ethiopia to improve use and quality of maternal and newborn health services. Methods We evaluated the effects of this strategy using mixed-methods research. We used before- and-after (March 2016 and November 2017) cross-sectional surveys of women who had children 0-11 […]
The effect of weekly interactive text-messaging on early infant HIV testing in Kenya: a randomised controlled trial (WelTel PMTCT)
Mother-to-child transmission of HIV remains a significant concern in Africa despite earlier progress. Early infant diagnosis (EID) of HIV is crucial to reduce mortality among infected infants through early treatment initiation. However, a large proportion of HIV-exposed infants are still not tested in Kenya. Our objective was to investigate whether weekly interactive text-messages improved prevention […]
HIV testing, test results and factors influencing among infants born to HIV positive mothers in public hospitals of Mekelle City, North Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study
Background: Timely infant testing for HIV is critical to ensure optimal treatment outcomes among exposed infants. While world health organization recommends HIV exposed infants to be tested between 4 to 6 weeks of age, in developing countries like Ethiopia, access to timely infant testing is still very limited. The study is intended to assess timely […]
Medical and psychological consequences of rape among survivors during armed conflicts in northeast Ethiopia
Background Rape is the most common act of violence against women during wartime which is considered interpersonal, social and political violence because survivors usually suffer from stigma and discrimination in the community. Sexual violence is a serious threat to women’s health. The psychological and medical consequences of rape during the conflict period are not well […]
Addressing the second delay in saving mothers, giving life districts in Uganda and Zambia: Reaching appropriate maternal care in a timely manner
Background: Between June 2011 and December 2016, the Saving Mothers, Giving Life (SMGL) initiative in Uganda and Zambia implemented a comprehensive approach targeting the persistent barriers that impact a woman’s decision to seek care (first delay), ability to reach care (second delay), and ability to receive adequate care (third delay). This article addresses how SMGL […]
