Examining changes in maternal and child health inequalities in Ethiopia
Background: Ethiopia has made considerable progress in maternal, newborn, and child health in terms of health outcomes and health services coverage. This study examined how different groups have fared in the process. It also looked at possible factors behind the inequalities. Methods: The study examined 11 maternal and child health outcomes and services: stunting, underweight, […]
Predictors of facility-based delivery utilization in central Ethiopia: A case-control study
Background Improving access to maternal health services has been a priority for the health sector in lowincome countries; the utilization of facility delivery services has remained low. Although Ethiopia provides free maternal health services in all public health facilities utilization of services has not been as expected. Objective This study examined predictors of facility delivery […]
Geographic access modeling of emergency obstetric and neonatal care in Kigoma Region, Tanzania: Transportation schemes and programmatic implications
Background: Access to transportation is vital to reducing the travel time to emergency obstetric and neonatal care (EmONC) for managing complications and preventing adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. This study examines the distribution of travel times to EmONC in Kigoma Region, Tanzania, using various transportation schemes, to estimate the proportion of live births (a proxy […]
Reflections on Digital Maternal and Child Health Support for Mothers and Community Health Workers in Rural Areas of Limpopo Province, South Africa
Introduction: Digital health support using mobile and digital technologies, such as MomConnect and WhatsApp, is providing opportunities to improve maternal and child healthcare in low- and middle-income countries. Yet, the perspective of health service providers, pregnant women, and mothers as recipients of digital health support is under-researched in rural areas. Material and Methods: An exploratory-descriptive […]
Place-specific factors associated with adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes in Southern Mozambique: A retrospective cohort study
Objectives To identify and measure the place-specific determinants that are associated with adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes in the southern region of Mozambique. Design Retrospective cohort study. Choice of variables informed by literature and Delphi consensus. Setting Study conducted during the baseline phase of a community level intervention for pre-eclampsia that was led by community […]
Estimating mother-to-child HIV transmission rates in Cameroon in 2011: A computer simulation approach
Background: Despite the progress in the Prevention of the Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT), the paediatric HIV epidemic remains worrying in Cameroon. HIV prevalence rate for the population of pregnant women was 7.6 % in 2010 in Cameroon. The extent of the paediatric HIV epidemic is needed to inform policymakers. We developed a stochastic simulation […]
Can community health officer-midwives effectively integrate skilled birth attendance in the community-based health planning and services program in rural Ghana?
Background: The burden of maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa is very high. In Ghana maternal mortality ratio was 380 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2013. Skilled birth attendance has been shown to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity, yet in 2010 only 68 percent of mothers in Ghana gave birth with the assistance of skilled […]
Crude childhood vaccination coverage in West Africa: Trends and predictors of completeness [version 1; Referees: 1 approved, 3 approved with reservations]
Background: Africa has the lowest childhood vaccination coverage worldwide. If the full benefits of childhood vaccination programmes are to be enjoyed in sub-Saharan Africa, all countries need to improve on vaccine delivery to achieve and sustain high coverage. In this paper, we review trends in vaccination coverage, dropouts between vaccine doses and explored the country-specific […]
Community based distribution agents’ approach to provision of family planning information and services in five Nigerian states: A mirage or a reality?
Background: Reducing maternal mortality in Nigeria has received continuous attention both nationally and internationally. Objectives: This article highlights the outcome of an intervention which sought to address maternal mortality reduction through increasing contraceptive uptake in 10 rural local government areas (LGAs)in five Nigerian states. Method: The community based distribution (CBD) approach was used in the […]
The use of facilities for labor and delivery: The views of women in rural Uganda
The aim of the paper is to explore factors associated with home or hospital delivery in rural Uganda. Qualitative interviews with recently-delivered women in rural Uganda and statistical analysis of data from the 2011 Ugandan Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) to assess the association between socio-demographic and cultural factors and delivery location in multivariable regression […]
