Factors affecting utilization of health facilities for labour and childbirth: A case study from rural Uganda
Background: Since 2000 considerable attention has been placed on maternal health outcomes as the 5th Millennium Goal. In Uganda, only 65% of births are delivered by a skilled birth attendant, contributing to the 435 women that die in every 100,000 births from unattended complications. Factors that impact a women’s decision on where to deliver include […]
Moderate and severe household food insecurity predicts stunting and severe stunting among Rwanda children aged 6–59 months residing in Gicumbi district
Household food insecurity (HFI) plays an important role in child malnutrition in many low-income countries. We determined the association between HFI and stunting and severe stunting among Rwandan children from the Gicumbi district, aged 6–59 months using a cross-sectional study of 2,222 children. HFI factor was calculated by summing all seven HFI (access) frequency questions and […]
Utilization of optimal antenatal care, institutional delivery, and associated factors in Northwest Ethiopia
Optimal antenatal care visits (ANC4+) and institutional delivery are essentials to save lives of the women and the baby during pregnancy and delivery. Though focused antenatal care visits and institutional delivery is recommended by World Health Organization, Ethiopia has sub-optimal antenatal care and lagged facility delivery. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 811 lactating […]
Situating mobile health: A qualitative study of mHealth expectations in the rural health district of Nouna, Burkina Faso
Background: The implementation of mobile health (mHealth) projects in low- and middle-income countries raises high and well-documented expectations among development agencies, policymakers and researchers. By contrast, the expectations of direct and indirect mHealth users are not often examined. In preparation for a proposed intervention in the Nouna Health District, in rural Burkina Faso, this study […]
Improving the quality of antenatal care using mobile health in madagascar: Five-year cross-sectional study
Background: Despite many efforts, maternal mortality remains a major burden in most developing countries. Mobile health (mHealth) has the potential to improve access to obstetric care through apps that help patients and providers. Objective: This study aimed to use mHealth to provide antenatal care (ANC) to 1446 pregnant women in a rural area in Madagascar […]
Safety of components and platforms of COVID-19 vaccines considered for use in pregnancy: A rapid review
Background: Rapid assessment of COVID-19 vaccine safety during pregnancy is urgently needed. Methods: We conducted a rapid systematic review, to evaluate the safety of COVID-19 vaccines selected by the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access-Maternal Immunization Working Group in August 2020, including their components and their technological platforms used in other vaccines for pregnant persons. We searched […]
Mother’s nutrition-related knowledge and child nutrition outcomes: Empirical evidence from Nigeria
Background Nutrition outcomes among young children in Nigeria are among the worse globally. Mother’s limited knowledge about food choices, feeding, and health care seeking practices contributes significantly to negative nutrition outcomes for children in most developing countries. Much less is known about the relationship between mother’s nutrition-related knowledge and child nutritional outcomes in rural Nigeria. […]
The role and attributes of social networks in the provision of support to women after stillbirth: experiences from Uganda
Introduction: Communities exert stigma on mothers after stillbirth despite their potential to offer social support to the grieving family. Maternal healthcare-seeking behaviors are socially reinforced rendering a social network approach vital in understanding support dynamics which when utilized can improve community response to mothers experiencing stillbirth. However, the form and direction of social support for […]
The Health Extension Program and its association with change in utilization of selected maternal health services in tigray region, Ethiopia: A segmented linear regression analysis
Background: In 2003, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health established the Health Extension Program (HEP), with the goal of improving access to health care and health promotion activities in rural areas of the country. This paper aims to assess the association of the HEP with improved utilization of maternal health services in Northern Ethiopia using institution-based […]
Novel approaches to measuring knowledge among frontline health workers in India: Are phone surveys a reliable option?
Background In 2017, India was home to nearly 20% of maternal and child deaths occurring globally. Accredited social health activists (ASHAs) act as the frontline for health services delivery in India, providing a range of reproductive, maternal, newborn, child health, and nutrition (RMNCH&N) services. Empirical evidence on ASHAs’ knowledge is limited, yet is a critical […]
