Effectiveness of Integrated Maternal Nutrition Intervention Package on Birth Weight in Rwanda
Inadequate maternal nutrition before and during pregnancy is a principal risk factor for poor fetal development, resulting in low birth weight (LBW) and subsequently, poor child growth. Most studies focus on the impact of nutritional interventions after birth while only a few interventions consider integrated nutrition service packages. Therefore, there is limited evidence on whether […]
Actions on social determinants and interventions in primary health to improve mother and child health and health equity in Morocco
Background: Over the last two decades, Moroccan authorities launched a number of actions and strategies to enhance access to health services and improve health outcomes for the whole population in general and for mother and child in particular. The Ministry of Health launched the action plans 2008-2012 and 2012-2016 and created the maternal mortality surveillance […]
Maternal and neonatal implementation for equitable systems. A study design paper
Background: Evidence on effective ways of improving maternal and neonatal health outcomes is widely available. The challenge that most low-income countries grapple with is implementation at scale and sustainability. Objectives: The study aimed at improving access to quality maternal and neonatal health services in a sustainable manner by using a participatory action research approach. Methods: […]
Integration of postpartum care into child health and immunization services in Burkina Faso: Findings from a cross-sectional study
Background: The Missed Opportunities for Maternal and Infant Health (MOMI) project, which aimed at upgrading maternal and infant postpartum care (PPC), implemented a package of interventions including the integration of maternal PPC in infant immunization services in 12 health facilities in Kaya Health district in Burkina Faso from 2013 to 2015. This paper assesses the […]
National and regional estimates of term and preterm babies born small for gestational age in 138 low-income and middle-income countries in 2010
Background: National estimates for the numbers of babies born small for gestational age and the comorbidity with preterm birth are unavailable. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of term and preterm babies born small for gestational age (term-SGA and preterm-SGA), and the relation to low birthweight (
Drivers of stunting reduction in Senegal: A country case study
Background: Senegal has been an exemplar country in the West African region, reducing child stunting prevalence by 17.9% from 1992 to 2017. Objectives: In this study, we aimed to conduct a systematic in-depth assessment of factors at the national, community, household, and individual levels to determine the key enablers of Senegal’s success in reducing stunting […]
Incidence of infant mortality and its predictors in East Africa using Gompertz gamma shared frailty model
Background: Globally, infant mortality is a major public health concern and a sensitive indicator of countries’ socio-economic and health status. Despite the substantial reduction of under-five mortality in sub-Saharan African countries specifically in East Africa, the infant mortality rate remains highest and too far below to achieve the WHO target. As to our search of […]
Levels and correlates of non-adherence to WHO recommended inter-birth intervals in Rufiji, Tanzania
Background: Poorly spaced pregnancies have been documented worldwide to result in adverse maternal and child health outcomes. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a minimum inter-birth interval of 33 months between two consecutive live births in order to reduce the risk of adverse maternal and child health outcomes. However, birth spacing practices in many developing […]
Psychosocial and environmental determinants of child cognitive development in rural south africa and tanzania: Findings from the mal-ed cohort
Background: Approximately 66% of children under the age of 5 in Sub-Saharan African countries do not reach their full cognitive potential, the highest percentage in the world. Because the majority of studies investigating child cognitive development have been conducted in high-income countries (HICs), there is limited knowledge regarding the determinants of child development in low- […]
Socioeconomic and demographic determinants of birth weight in southern rural Ghana: Evidence from Dodowa Health and Demographic Surveillance System
Background: Low birth weight (LBW) is one of the major factors affecting child morbidity and mortality worldwide. It also results in substantial costs to the health sector and imposes a significant burden on the society as a whole. This study seeks to investigate the determinants of low birth weight and the incidence of LBW in […]
