The HI HOPES data set of deaf children under the age of 6 in South Africa: Maternal suspicion, age of identification and newborn hearing screening
Background: Identification of deafness before 3 months of age substantially improves the socio-linguistic and cognitive development of deaf children. Existing studies demonstrating the feasibility of newborn hearing screening in South Africa have used small samples unrepresentative of general population characteristics. This study establishes the characteristics of the largest data set of deaf infants and their […]
Antenatal care providers’ attitudes and beliefs towards maternal vaccination in Kenya
Background: Maternal immunization is known to be one of the best strategies to protect both mothers and their infants from infectious diseases. Studies have shown that healthcare providers play a critical role in implementation of maternal immunization. However, little is known about providers’ attitudes and beliefs towards vaccination that can influence their vaccine recommendations, specifically […]
Provision and use of maternal health services among urban poor women in Kenya: What do we know and what can we do?
In sub-Saharan Africa, the unprecedented population growth that started in the second half of the twentieth century has evolved into unparalleled urbanization and an increasing proportion of urban dwellers living in slums and shanty towns, making it imperative to pay greater attention to the health problems of the urban poor. In particular, urgent efforts need […]
Assessing the prevalence of spina bifida and encephalocele in a Kenyan hospital from 2005-2010: implications for a neural tube defects surveillance system
INTRODUCTION: Neural tube defects such as anencephaly, spina bifida, and encephalocele are congenital anomalies of the central nervous system. Data on the prevalence of neural tube defects in Kenya are limited. This study characterizes and estimates the prevalence of spina bifida and encephalocele reported in a referral hospital in Kenya from 2005-2010. The study was […]
Opportunities and challenges for improving anti-microbial stewardship in low- and middle-income countries; lessons learnt from the maternal sepsis intervention in western Uganda
This paper presents findings from an action-research intervention designed to identify ways of improving antimicrobial stewardship in a Ugandan Regional Referral Hospital. Building on an existing health partnership and extensive action-research on maternal health, it focused on maternal sepsis. Sepsis is one of the main causes of maternal mortality in Uganda and surgical site infection, […]
Accelerating Kenya’s progress to 2030: Understanding the determinants of under-five mortality from 1990 to 2015
Introduction Despite recent gains, Kenya did not achieve its Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target for reducing under-five mortality. To accelerate progress to 2030, we must understand what impacted mortality throughout the MDG period. Methods Trends in the under-five mortality rate (U5MR) were analysed using data from nationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys (1989-2014). Comprehensive, mixed-methods […]
The effect of maternal depressive symptoms on infant feeding practices in rural Ethiopia: community based birth cohort study
Background: Maternal depression and other psychosocial factors have been shown to have adverse consequences on infant feeding practices. This study explored the longitudinal relationship of maternal depressive symptoms and other selected psychosocial factors with infant feeding practices (IFPs) in rural Ethiopia using summary IFP index. Methods: This study uses existing data from the ENGINE birth […]
Health and nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices of pregnant women attending and not-attending ANC clinics in Western Kenya: A cross-sectional analysis
Background: Antenatal care (ANC) is a key strategy to decreasing maternal mortality in low-resource settings. ANC clinics provide resources to improve nutrition and health knowledge and promote preventive health practices. We sought to compare the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) among women seeking and not-seeking ANC in rural Kenya.Methods: Data from a community-based cross-sectional survey […]
Birth preparedness, complication readiness and male partner involvement for obstetric emergencies in rural Rwanda
Introduction: Birth preparedness and complication readiness (BP/CR) promotes timely access to skilled maternal and neonatal services, active preparation and decision-making for seeking health care to prevent any adverse outcomes. The aim was to assess level of male partner (MP) involvement in the birth plan, the attitude of the women towards maternal care and factors associated […]
Women’s development group leaders’ promotion of maternal, neonatal and child health care in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study
Background: Women’s development group leaders are volunteer community health workers in Ethiopia who, among other duties, promote health and prevention of diseases. They link and extend essential health services from health posts to households. Objective: To assess the characteristics, knowledge, and practice of women’s development group leaders in the field of maternal, neonatal, and child […]
