Completeness of patient-held records: Observations of the Road-to-Health Booklet from two national facility-based surveys at 6 weeks postpartum, South Africa

Background Continuity of care is important for child well-being in all settings where postnatal retention of mother-infant pairs in care remains a challenge. This analysis reports on completeness of patient-held infant Road to Health Booklets (RtHBs), amongst HIV exposed and unexposed infants during the first two years after the RtHB was launched country-wide in South […]

Perinatal distress and depression in culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) australian women: The role of psychosocial and obstetric factors

Perinatal distress and depression can have significant impacts on both the mother and baby. The present study investigated psychosocial and obstetric factors associated with perinatal distress and depressive symptoms among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) Australian women in Sydney, New South Wales. The study used retrospectively linked maternal and child health data from two Local […]

Factors associated with health facility utilization during childbirth among 15 to 49-year-old women in Uganda: evidence from the Uganda demographic health survey 2016

Background: Almost all maternal deaths and related morbidities occur in low-income countries. Childbirth supervised by a skilled provider in a health facility is a key intervention to prevent maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Our study aimed to establish the factors associated with health facility utilization during childbirth in Uganda. Methods: We used the Uganda […]

Female health workers at the doorstep: A pilot of community-based maternal, newborn, and child health service delivery in Northern Nigeria

Introduction: Nigeria has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world. Poor health outcomes are linked to weak health infrastructure, barriers to service access, and consequent low rates of service utilization. In the northern state of Jigawa, a pilot study was conducted to explore the feasibility of deploying resident female Community Health Extension […]

Trends in antenatal care attendance and health facility delivery following community and health facility systems strengthening interventions in Northern Uganda

Background: Maternal morbidity and mortality remains high in Uganda; largely due to inadequate antenatal care (ANC), low skilled deliveries and poor quality of other maternal health services. In order to address both the demand and quality of ANC and skilled deliveries, we introduced community mobilization and health facility capacity strengthening interventions. Methods: Interventions were introduced […]

Impact of newly constructed primary healthcare centres on antenatal care attendance, facility delivery and all-cause mortality: Quasi-experimental evidence from Taabo health and demographic surveillance system, Côte d’Ivoire

Objectives Access to quality care remains limited, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries. Although better health outcomes for families living in close proximity to healthcare facilities have been documented in cross-sectional studies, evidence on the extent to which additional health facilities can contribute to improved population health remains scanty. We aimed to estimate the causal […]

Reported History of Measles and Long-term Impact on Tetanus Antibody Detected in Children 9-59 Months of Age and Receiving 3 Doses of Tetanus Vaccine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Background: Recent studies suggest measles-induced immune amnesia could have long-term immunosuppressive effects via preferential depletion of memory CD150+ lymphocytes, and associations with a 2-3 year period of increased mortality and morbidity from infectious diseases other than measles has been shown in children from wealthy and low-income countries. To further examine the associations previous measles virus […]

Are morbidity and mortality estimates from randomized controlled trials externally valid? A comparison of outcomes among infants enrolled into an RCT or a cohort study in Botswana

Background: The external validity of the randomized controlled trial (RCT) refers to the extent to which the results of the RCT apply to the relevant, non-trial population and is impacted by its eligibility criteria, its organization, and its delivery of the intervention. Here, we compared the outcomes of mortality and hospitalization between an RCT and […]

Evaluating health service coverage in Ghana’s Volta Region using a modified Tanahashi model

Background: The United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals have reaffirmed the international community’s commitment to maternal, newborn, and child health, with further investments in achieving quality essential service coverage and financial protection for all. Objective: Using a modified version of the 1978 Tanahashi model as an analytical framework for measuring and assessing health service coverage, […]

Can Integrated Agriculture-Nutrition Programmes Change Gender Norms on Land and Asset Ownership? Evidence from Burkina Faso

Abstract: This article uses a mixed-methods approach to analyse the impact of an integrated agriculture and nutrition programme in Burkina Faso on women’s and men’s assets, and norms regarding ownership, use and control of assets. We use a cluster-randomised controlled trial to determine whether productive asset transfers and increased income-generating opportunities for women increase women’s […]