Parental Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine scars decrease infant mortality in the first six weeks of life: A retrospective cohort study
Background: Live attenuated vaccines have been observed to have particularly beneficial effects for child survival when given in the presence of maternally transferred immunity (priming). We aimed to test this finding and furthermore explore the role of paternal priming. Methods: In an exploratory, retrospective cohort study in 2017, parental Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) scars were assessed […]
Assessing the Integrated Community-Based Health Systems Strengthening initiative in northern Togo: A pragmatic effectiveness-implementation study protocol
Background: Over the past decade, prevalence of maternal and child morbidity and mortality in Togo, particularly in the northern regions, has remained high despite global progress. The causes of under-five child mortality in Togo are diseases with effective and low-cost prevention and/or treatment strategies, including malaria, acute lower respiratory infections, and diarrheal diseases. While Togo […]
PREventing Maternal and Neonatal Deaths (PREMAND): A study protocol for examining social and cultural factors contributing to infant and maternal deaths and near-misses in rural northern Ghana
Plain English Summary: The Preventing Maternal And Neonatal Deaths (PREMAND) project works to understand the social and cultural factors that may contribute to the deaths and near-misses (people who almost die but end up surviving) of mothers and babies in four districts in Northern Ghana. Examples of these factors include such thing as treating a […]
Responding to the challenge of Adolescent Perinatal Depression (RAPiD): Protocol for a cluster randomized hybrid trial of psychosocial intervention in primary maternal care
Background: Adolescent pregnancy is a pressing public health issue globally, and particularly in low and middle-income countries. Depression occurring in the perinatal period is common among women and more so among adolescent mothers. Effective treatments for the condition have been demonstrated in adults but the needs of adolescents are often unique, making such treatments unlikely […]
The feasibility of community level interventions for pre-eclampsia in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa: A mixed-methods design
Background: Globally, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia are major contributors to maternal and perinatal mortality; of which the vast majority of deaths occur in less developed countries. In addition, a disproportionate number of morbidities and mortalities occur due to delayed access to health services. The Community Level Interventions for Pre-eclampsia (CLIP) Trial aims to task-shift to community […]
Association of maternal KIR gene content polymorphisms with reduction in perinatal transmission of HIV-1
The role of killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) in the transmission of HIV-1 has not been extensively studied. Here, we investigated the association of KIR gene content polymorphisms with perinatal HIV-1 transmission. The KIR gene family comprising 16 genes was genotyped in 313 HIV-1 positive Kenyan mothers paired with their infants. Gene content polymorphisms were […]
Validity of self-reported use of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine intermittent presumptive treatment during pregnancy (IPTp): A cross-sectional study
Background: Malaria in pregnancy is a major health problem that can cause maternal anaemia, stillbirth, spontaneous abortion, low birth weight and intra-uterine stunting. The WHO recommends use of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) for intermittent preventive treatment of malaria during pregnancy (IPTp) in endemic areas. Towards monitoring and assessing IPTp coverage in the population, the Roll Back Malaria […]
Risk factors for low birth weight in Nigeria: Evidence from the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey
Background: Low birth weight (LBW) continues to be the primary cause of infant morbidity and mortality. Objective: This study was undertaken to identify the predictors of LBW in Nigeria. Design: The data for this study was extracted from the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey conducted by the National Population Commission. Several questionnaires were used […]
Perceptions of postnatal depression and health care needs in a South African sample: The “mental” in maternal health care
Background: Maternal mental health care is a neglected area in low and middle income countries (LAMIC) such as South Africa, where maternal and child health care priorities are focused on reducing maternal and infant mortality and promoting infant physical health. In the context of a paucity of mental health specialists, the aim of this study […]
Trends and determinants of an acceptable antenatal care coverage in Ethiopia, evidence from 2005-2016 Ethiopian demographic and health survey; Multivariate decomposition analysis
Background: an acceptable antenatal care (ANC4+) is defined as attending at least four antenatal care visit, received at least one dose of tetanus toxoid (TT) injections and consumed 100 iron-folic acids (IFA) tablets/syrup during the last pregnancy. Since maternal health care service utilization continues to be an essential indicator for monitoring the improvements of maternal […]
