Intersections of girl child marriage and family planning beliefs and use: qualitative findings from Ethiopia and India
Child marriage and subsequent early first birth is a considerable social, economic and health concern, and a pervasive practice in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. This study explores barriers and facilitators to family planning among women and girls, and their marital decision-makers subsequent to receipt of child marriage prevention programmes in Ethiopia and India. In-depth […]
Late antenatal care initiation: The case of public health centers in Ethiopia
Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the magnitude of late initiation of antenatal care visit and associated factors among antenatal care follow up women in Tselemte district health facilities. The data were obtained at health facilities level in a single survey within 1 month and there is no continuation part of this […]
Inequalities in maternal malnutrition in Ethiopia: evidence from a nationally representative data
Background: Despite promising progress made in several maternal health indicators, maternal malnutrition (especially undernutrition) remained one of the greatest development challenges for Ethiopia. The main purpose of this study was to examine the disparities in maternal malnutrition and estimate the population level impacts of key risk factors in Ethiopia. Methods: The analysis was made based […]
Preference in the use of full childhood immunizations in Ethiopia: The role of maternal health services
Background: Immunizations represent a successful and cost-effective public health strategy in preventing common childhood diseases. Ethiopia has made remarkable progress in increasing its full immunization coverage, but significant gaps remain. This study aims to measure the preference in the use of full immunizations for children aged 12–23 months in Ethiopia and examine the role of […]
Evaluating the impact of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Malawi through immunization clinic-based surveillance
Background: Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programs can greatly reduce the vertical transmission rate (VTR) of HIV, and Malawi is expanding PMTCT access by offering HIV-infected pregnant women life-long antiretroviral therapy (Option B+). There is currently no empirical data on the effectiveness of Malawian PMTCT programs. This study describes a surveillance approach to […]
Use pattern of maternal health services and determinants of skilled care during delivery in Southern Tanzania: Implications for achievement of MDG-5 targets
Background: Almost two decades since the initiation of the Safe motherhood Initiative, Maternal Mortality is still soaring high in most developing countries. In 2000 WHO estimated a life time risk of a maternal death of 1 in 16 in Sub- Saharan Africa while it was only 1 in 2800 in developed countries. This huge discrepancy […]
Developing equity-focused interventions for maternal and child health in nigeria: An evidence synthesis for policy, based on equitable impact sensitive tool (EQUIST)
Introduction: among the most critical health systems components that requires strengthening to improve maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) outcomes in Nigeria is the concept of equity. UNICEF has designed the equitable impact sensitive tool (EQUIST) to enable policymakers improve equity in MNCH and reduce disparities between the most marginalized mothers and young children and […]
Maternal profiles and social determinants of malnutrition and the MDGs: What have we learnt?
Background: Maternal socio-demographic and health profiles are important determinants of malnutrition in children. In the 1990s, malnutrition was associated with low-birth-weight, young mothers and low maternal socio-economic status at Princess Marie Louise Children’s Hospital (PML). It is not known how this has changed by efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. We examined socio-demographic and […]
Factors associated with postpartum hemorrhage maternal death in referral hospitals in Senegal and Mali: A cross-sectional epidemiological survey
Background: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal mortality in Sub-Saharan-Africa (SSA). Although clinical guidelines treating PPH are available, their implementation remains a great challenge in resource poor settings. A better understanding of the factors associated with PPH maternal mortality is critical for preventing risk of hospital-based maternal death. The purpose of this […]
Association between maternal age at childbirth and child and adult outcomes in the offspring: A prospective study in five low-income and middle-income countries (COHORTS collaboration)
Background: Both young and advanced maternal age is associated with adverse birth and child outcomes. Few studies have examined these associations in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) and none have studied adult outcomes in the offspring. We aimed to examine both child and adult outcomes in five LMICs. Methods: In this prospective study, we pooled […]
