Spatial autocorrelation in uptake of antenatal care and relationship to individual, household and village-level factors: Results from a community-based survey of pregnant women in six districts in western Kenya
Background: The majority of maternal deaths, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths are concentrated in a few countries, many of which have weak health systems, poor access to health services, and low coverage of key health interventions. Early and consistent antenatal care (ANC) attendance could significantly reduce maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Despite this, most Kenyan […]
An approach for evaluating early and long term mother-to-child transmission of HIV (MTCT) in low and middle income countries: a South African experience
BACKGROUND: Eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV is a global public health target. Robust, feasible methodologies to measure population level impact of programmes to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) are needed in high HIV prevalence settings. We present a summary of the protocol of the South African PMTCT Evaluation (SAPMTCTE) with its revision over three […]
Limiting adverse birth outcomes in resource-limited settings (LABOR): Protocol of a prospective intrapartum cohort study
Background: Each year, nearly 300,000 women and 5 million fetuses or neonates die during childbirth or shortly thereafter, a burden concentrated disproportionately in low- and middle-income countries. Identifying women and their fetuses at risk for intrapartum-related morbidity and death could facilitate early intervention. Methods: The Limiting Adverse Birth Outcomes in Resource-Limited Settings (LABOR) Study is […]
Beyond political will: unpacking the drivers of (non) health reforms in sub-Saharan Africa
Background Lack of political will is frequently invoked as a rhetorical tool to explain the gap between commitment and action for health reforms in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, the concept remains vague, ill defined and risks being used as a scapegoat to actually examine what shapes reforms in a given context, and what to do […]
Predictors of health-care utilization among children 6-59 months of age in zambézia province, Mozambique
Globally, approximately 5.9 million children under 5 years of age died in 2015, a reduction of over 50% since 1990. Millennium Development Goal 4 established the goal of reducing child mortality by two-thirds by 2015. Multiple countries have surpassed this goal; however, regional and within-country inequities exist. We sought to study determinants of health-care utilization […]
Birth location preferences of mothers and fathers in rural Ghana: Implications for pregnancy, labor and birth outcomes
Background: Maternal deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa are largely preventable with health facility delivery assisted by skilled birth attendants. Examining associations of birth location preferences on pregnant women’s experiences is important to understanding delays in care seeking in the event of complications. We explored the influence of birth location preference on women’s pregnancy, labor and birth […]
Effect of a theory-based nutrition education intervention during pregnancy through male partner involvement on newborns’ birth weights in Southwest Ethiopia. A three-arm community based Quasi-Experimental study
Background Low birth weight is one of the most serious public health issues affecting newborns, with estimates ranging from 15% to 20% of all births worldwide. According to the Ethiopian demographic health survey report, the prevalence of Low Birth Weight rose from 11% in 2011 to 13% in 2016. The high proportion of birth weight […]
What will it take to eliminate pediatric HIV? Reaching WHO target rates of mother-to-child HIV transmission in zimbabwe: A model-based analysis
Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for the “virtual elimination” of pediatric HIV: a mother-to-child HIV transmission (MTCT) risk of less than 5%. We investigated uptake of prevention of MTCT (PMTCT) services, infant feeding recommendations, and specific drug regimens necessary to achieve this goal in Zimbabwe. Methods and Findings: We used a computer […]
Determinants of maternal health services utilization in urban settings of the Democratic Republic of Congo – A Case study of Lubumbashi City
Background: The use of maternal health services, known as an indirect indicator of perinatal death, is still unknown in Lubumbashi. The present study was therefore undertaken in order to determine the factors that influence the use of mother and child healthcare services in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo.Methods: This was transversal study of women […]
Estimating the pattern of causes of death in Papua New Guinea
Background: Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a diverse country with high mortality and evidence of increased prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), but there is no reliable cause of death (COD) data because civil registration is insufficient and routine health data comprise only a small proportion of deaths. This study aims to estimate cause-specific mortality fractions […]
