‘People have started to deliver in the facility these days’: A qualitative exploration of factors affecting facility delivery in Ethiopia

Objectives To understand the recent rise in facility deliveries in Ethiopia. Design A qualitative study. Setting Four rural communities in two regions of Ethiopia. Participants 12 narrative, 12 in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions with recently delivered women; and four focus group discussions with each of grandmothers, fathers and community health workers. Results We […]

Understanding accelerators to improve SDG-related outcomes for adolescents—An investigation into the nature and quantum of additive effects of protective factors to guide policy making

Recent evidence has shown support for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) accelerator concept, which highlights the need to identify interventions or programmatic areas that can affect multiple sustainable development goals (SDGs) at once to boost their achievement. These data have also clearly shown enhanced effects when interventions are used in combination, above and beyond […]

Beyond signal functions in global obstetric care: Using a clinical cascade to measure emergency obstetric readiness

Background Globally, the rate of reduction in delivery-associated maternal and perinatal mortality has been slow compared to improvements in post-delivery mortality in children under five. Improving clinical readiness for basic obstetric emergencies is crucial for reducing facility-based maternal deaths. Emergency readiness is commonly assessed using tracers derived from the maternal signal functions model. Objective-method We […]

Adequacy of antenatal care services utilisation and its effect on anaemia in pregnancy

Anaemia in pregnancy remains a critical public health concern in many countries including Ghana and it poses severe consequences in the short to long-term for women and their unborn babies. Although antenatal care (ANC) is largely provided for pregnant women, the extent its utilisation protects against anaemia in pregnancy remains largely understudied. The study assessed […]

A Short Message Service (SMS) increases postpartum care-seeking behavior and uptake of family planning of mothers in peri-urban public facilities in Kenya

Background It is estimated that one third of maternal deaths in Kenya in 2014 could have been prevented by more timely care-seeking. Mobile health interventions are increasingly being recognized as tools for the delivery of health education and promotion. Many maternal deaths occur in the first few weeks after delivery and mothers who are given […]

Implementation fidelity of nutritional counselling, iron and folic acid supplementation guidelines and associated challenges in rural Uasin Gishu County Kenya

Background: Implementation fidelity which is defined as the degree to which programmes are implemented as intended is one of the factors that affect programme outcome, thus requiring careful examination. This study aims to acquire insight into the degree to which nutritional counselling and Iron and Folic Acid supplementation (IFAs) policy guidelines during pregnancy have been […]

Association between probable postnatal depression and increased infant mortality and morbidity: Findings from the DON population-based cohort study in rural Ghana

Objectives: To assess the impact of probable depression in the immediate postnatal period on subsequent infant mortality and morbidity. Design: Cohort study nested within 4 weekly surveillance of all women of reproductive age to identify pregnancies and collect data on births and deaths. Setting: Rural/periurban communities within the Kintampo Health Research Centre study area of […]

Effect of Flexible Sacrum Position on Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes in Public Health Facilities, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Restricting women giving birth in health care facilities from choosing the most comfortable position during labor and birth is a global problem. This study was aimed to examine the effect of flexible sacrum birth positions on maternal and neonatal outcomes in public health facilities in Ethiopia’s Amhara Region. A non-equivalent control group post-test-only design was […]

Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between household food security and child anthropometry at ages 5 and 8 years in Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam

Background: Poor childhood nutritional status has lifetime effects and food insecurity is associated with dietary practices that can impair nutritional status. Objectives: We assessed concurrent and subsequent associations between food insecurity and height-for-age z scores (HAZs) and body mass index-for-age z scores (BMI-Zs); evaluated associations with transitory and chronic food insecurity; and tested whether dietary […]

Infant Nutritional Status and Markers of Environmental Enteric Dysfunction are Associated with Midchildhood Anthropometry and Blood Pressure in Tanzania

Objective To assess whether growth and biomarkers of environmental enteric dysfunction in infancy are related to health outcomes in midchildhood in Tanzania. Study design Children who participated in 2 randomized trials of micronutrient supplements in infancy were followed up in midchildhood (4.6-9.8 years of age). Anthropometry was measured at age 6 and 52 weeks in […]