A qualitative study on barriers to utilisation of institutional delivery services in Moroto and Napak districts, Uganda: Implications for programming
Background: Skilled attendance at delivery is critical in prevention of maternal deaths. However, many women in low- and middle-income countries still deliver without skilled assistance. This study was carried out to identify perceived barriers to utilisation of institutional delivery in two districts in Karamoja, Uganda.Methods: Data were collected through participatory rural appraisal (PRA) with 887 […]
Chlorhexidine cord care after a national scale-up as a newborn survival strategy: A survey in four regions of Ethiopia
Introduction Chlorhexidine cord care is an effective intervention to reduce neonatal infection and death in resource constrained settings. The Federal Ministry of Health of Ethiopia adopted chlorhexidine cord care in 2015, with national scale-up in 2017. However, there is lack of evidence on the provision of this important intervention in Ethiopia. In this paper, we […]
To evaluate if increased supervision and support of South African Government health workers’ home visits improves maternal and child outcomes: Study protocol for a randomized control trial
Background: Concurrent epidemics of HIV, depression, alcohol abuse, and partner violence threaten maternal and child health (MCH) in South Africa. Although home visiting has been repeatedly demonstrated efficacious in research evaluations, efficacy disappears when programs are scaled broadly. In this cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT), we examine whether the benefits of ongoing accountability and supervision […]
Understanding Inequities in Child Vaccination Rates among the Urban Poor: Evidence from Nairobi and Ouagadougou Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems
Studies on informal settlements in sub-Saharan Africa have questioned the health benefits of urban residence, but this should not suggest that informal settlements (within cities and across cities and/or countries) are homogeneous. They vary in terms of poverty, pollution, overcrowding, criminality, and social exclusion. Moreover, while some informal settlements completely lack public services, others have […]
Mapping the prevalence and sociodemographic characteristics of women who deliver alone: Evidence from demographic and health surveys from 80 countries
Evidence has shown that quality skilled care during labor and delivery is essential to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes. Unfortunately, analyses of Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data show that there are a substantial number of women around the world that not only do not have access to skilled care but also deliver alone […]
The uptake of key Essential Nutrition Action (ENA) messages and its predictors among mothers of children aged 6–24 months in Southern Ethiopia, 2021: A community-based crossectional study
Background Essential nutrition action(ENA) is a framework for managing advocacy, establishing a foundation, and implementing a comprehensive package of preventive nutritional activities. Essential Nutrition Actions study studies provide current information on each nutrition action, allowing health systems to focus more on nutrition, which is critical in tackling the “double burden” of malnutrition: underweight and overweight. […]
Determinants to late antenatal clinic start among pregnant women: The case of Saint Elizabeth general hospital, Shisong, Cameroon
Introduction: to improve maternal health, barriers that limit access to quality maternal health services must be identified and addressed at all levels of the health system. The World Health Organisation (WHO) cites distance to health facility and inadequate health institutions as factors that prevent women from receiving or seeking care during pregnancy and childbirth. Specifically, […]
Scale matters: A cost-outcome analysis of an m-health intervention in Malawi
Background: The primary objectives of this study are to determine cost per user and cost per contact with users of a mobile health (m-health) intervention. The secondary objectives are to map costs to changes in maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) and to estimate costs of alternate implementation and usage scenarios. Materials and Methods: A […]
Factors affecting birth preparedness and complication readiness in Jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia: A multilevel analysis
Introduction: birth preparedness and complication readiness have been considered as comprehensive strategy aimed at promoting the timely utilization of skilled maternal health care. However, its status and affecting factors have not been well studied at different levels in the study area. Thus, this study was aimed to fill this gap by conducting community based study. […]
Evaluating Religious Influences on the Utilization of Maternal Health Services among Muslim and Christian Women in North-Central Nigeria
Introduction. Uptake of antenatal services is low in Nigeria; however, indicators in the Christian-dominated South have been better than in the Muslim-dominated North. This study evaluated religious influences on utilization of general and HIV-related maternal health services among women in rural and periurban North-Central Nigeria. Materials and Methods. Targeted participants were HIV-positive, pregnant, or of […]
