Maternal HIV disclosure to HIV-uninfected children in rural South Africa: A pilot study of a family-based intervention
Background: As access to treatment increases, large numbers of HIV-positive parents are raising HIV-negative children. Maternal HIV disclosure has been shown to have benefits for mothers and children, however, disclosure rates remain low with between 30-45% of mothers reporting HIV disclosure to their children in both observational and intervention studies. Disclosure of HIV status by […]
National data system on near miss and maternal death: Shifting from maternal risk to public health impact in Nigeria
Abstract. Background. The lack of reliable and up-to-date statistics on maternal deaths and disabilities remains a major challenge to the implementation of Nigeria’s Road Map to Accelerate the Millennium Development Goal related to Maternal Health (MDG-5). There are currently no functioning national data sources on maternal deaths and disabilities that could serve as reference points […]
Village health worker motivation for better performance in a maternal and child health programme in Nigeria: A realist evaluation
Background: Community health workers play an important role in linking communities with formal health service providers, thereby improving access to and utilization of health care. A novel cadre of community health workers known as village health workers (VHWs) were recruited to create demand for maternal health services in the Nigerian Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SURE-P/MCH). In […]
Promising trends and influencing factors of complementary feeding practices in Côte d’Ivoire: An analysis of nationally representative survey data between 1994 and 2016
Poor complementary feeding (CF) challenges early childhood growth. We examined the trends and influencing factors of CF practices among children aged 6–23 months in Côte d’Ivoire. Using data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS, 1994–2011) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS, 2000–2016), the trends and predictors of World Health Organization-United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund CF indicators […]
Prioritizing child health interventions in Ethiopia: Modeling impact on child mortality, life expectancy and inequality in age at death
Background: The fourth Millennium Development Goal calls for a two-thirds reduction in under-5 mortality between 1990 and 2015. Under-5 mortality rate is declining, but many countries are still far from achieving the goal. Effective child health interventions that could reduce child mortality exist, but national decision-makers lack contextual information for priority setting in their respective […]
Estimates of the Burden of Group B Streptococcal Disease Worldwide for Pregnant Women, Stillbirths, and Children
We aimed to provide the first comprehensive estimates of the burden of group B Streptococcus (GBS), including invasive disease in pregnant and postpartum women, fetal infection/stillbirth, and infants. Intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis is the current mainstay of prevention, reducing early-onset infant disease in high-income contexts. Maternal GBS vaccines are in development. Methods. For 2015 live births, […]
Prevalence of Caesarean sections in Enugu, southeast Nigeria: Analysis of data from the Healthy Beginning Initiative
Background In order to meet the Sustainable Development Goal to decrease maternal mortality, increased access to obstetric interventions such as Caesarean sections (CS) is of critical importance. As a result of women’s limited access to routine and emergency obstetric services in Nigeria, the country is a major contributor to the global burden of maternal mortality. […]
Neurodevelopment of HIV-exposed uninfected children in South Africa: outcomes from an observational birth cohort study
Background: HIV infection is known to cause developmental delay, but the effects of HIV exposure without infection during pregnancy on child development are unclear. We compared the neurodevelopmental outcomes of HIV-exposed uninfected and HIV-unexposed children during their first 2 years of life. Methods: Pregnant women (>18 years of age) at 20–28 weeks’ gestation were enrolled […]
Linking data sources for measurement of effective coverage in maternal and newborn health: What do we learn from individual- vs ecological-linking methods?
Background Improving maternal and newborn health requires improvements in the quality of facility-based care. This is challenging to measure: routine data may be unreliable; respondents in population surveys may be unable to accurately report on quality indicators; and facility assessments lack population level denominators. We explored methods for linking access to skilled birth attendance (SBA) […]
Individual and health facility factors and the risk for obstructed labour and its adverse outcomes in south-western Uganda
Background: Obstructed labour is still a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality and of adverse outcome for newborns in low-income countries. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of individual and health facility factors and the risk for obstructed labour and its adverse outcomes in south-western Uganda.Methods: A review was performed […]
