Drivers of improved health sector performance in Rwanda: A qualitative view from within

Background: Rwanda has achieved great improvements in several key health indicators, including maternal mortality and other health outcomes. This raises the question: what has made this possible, and what makes Rwanda so unique? Methods: We describe the results of a web-based survey among district health managers in Rwanda who gave their personal opinions on the […]

‘You try to play a role in her pregnancy’ – a qualitative study on recent fathers’ perspectives about childbearing and encounter with the maternal health system in Kigali, Rwanda

Background: Rwanda has raised gender equality on the political agenda and is, among other things, striving for involving men in reproductive health matters. With these structural changes taking place, traditional gender norms in this setting are challenged. Deeper understanding is needed of men’s perceptions about their gendered roles in the maternal health system. Objective: To […]

Prenatal fortified balanced energy-Protein supplementation and birth outcomes in rural Burkina Faso: A randomized controlled efficacy trial

Background APUrov: iPdilnegasbecaolannficremdtheantaelrlgheya-dpirnogtleeivnel(sBaErePr)epsruepspenletemdeconrtrseicstlay:promising intervention to improve birth outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs); however, evidence is limited. We aimed to assess the efficacy of fortified BEP supplementation during pregnancy to improve birth outcomes, as compared to iron-folic acid (IFA) tablets, the standard of care. Methods and findings We conducted an individually randomized controlled efficacy […]

Nutrition Outcomes of Under-five Children of Smallholder Farm Households: Do Higher Commercialization Levels Lead to Better Nutritional Status?

The study investigated the nutritional status of under-five children of farm households. The study utilized primary data from 352 farm households with 140 under-five children. Household crop commercialization index (CCI) was used to estimate cassava farm household crop sale ratio and categorize the households into four commercialization levels while WHO Anthro software was employed to […]

A new strategy and its effect on adherence to intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy in Uganda

Background: Few women in Uganda access intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP). Previous studies have shown that high costs, frequent stock-out of drugs, supplies and poor quality of care are the greatest hindrance for women to access health services. In order to increase adherence to IPTp, we conceptualised an intervention […]

Female education and maternal health care utilization: evidence from Uganda

Background: Maternal health care is among the key indicators of population health and economic development. Therefore, the study attempted to explore female education and maternal healthcare utilization in Uganda. The study identified the causal effect of introduction of free education by exploiting the age as an instrument at the second stage model (BMC Health Serv […]

Maternal iron-deficiency is associated with premature birth and higher birth weight despite routine antenatal iron supplementation in an urban South African setting: The NuPED prospective study

Background Recent studies are suggesting a U-shaped relationship between antenatal iron exposure and birth outcomes. Little is known about the iron status and associated birth outcomes of pregnant women in South Africa. Our aim was to assess iron status at early, mid- and late pregnancy, and to determine associations with gestational age and birth weight […]

I should have started earlier, but I was not feeling ill! Perceptions of Kalenjin women on antenatal care and its implications on initial access and differentials in patterns of antenatal care utilization in rural Uasin Gishu County Kenya

Aim The aim of this study was to explore how Kalenjin women in rural Uasing Gishu County in Kenya perceive antenatal care and how their perceptions impede or motivate earlier access and continuous use of antenatal care services. Methods A study was conducted among 188 pregnant and post-natal mothers seeking care in 23 rural public […]

Associations of childhood, maternal and household dietary patterns with childhood stunting in Ethiopia: Proposing an alternative and plausible dietary analysis method to dietary diversity scores

Background: Identifying dietary patterns that consider the overall eating habits, rather than focusing on individual foods or simple counts of consumed foods, better helps to understand the combined effects of dietary components. Therefore, this study aimed to use dietary patterns, as an alternative method to dietary diversity scores (DDSs), and investigate their associations with childhood […]

Nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive factors associated with mid-upper arm circumference as a measure of nutritional status in pregnant Ethiopian women: Implications for programming in the first 1000 days

Poor nutritional status in pregnancy expressed as low mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) is associated with low birth weight. The study aims were to assess the nutritional status of pregnant Ethiopian women using MUAC and examine association with nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive factors, using baseline data of a prospective longitudinal observational birth cohort study conducted in three […]