Health care seeking behaviour for children with acute childhood illnesses and its relating factors in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from 24 countries
Background: Childhood illnesses and mortality rates have declined over the past years in sub-Saharan African countries; however, under-five mortality is still high in the region. This study investigated the magnitude and factors associated with health care seeking behaviour for children with childhood illnesses in 24 sub-Saharan African countries. Methods: We used secondary data from Demographic […]
Effect of a participatory multisectoral maternal and newborn intervention on birth preparedness and knowledge of maternal and newborn danger signs among women in Eastern Uganda: A quasiexperiment study
Background: Knowledge of obstetric danger signs and adequate birth preparedness (BP) are critical for improving maternal services utilization. Objectives: This study assessed the effect of a participatory multi-sectoral maternal and newborn intervention on BP and knowledge of obstetric danger signs among women in Eastern Uganda. Methods: The Maternal and Neonatal Implementation for Equitable Systems (MANIFEST) […]
Gender and household structure factors associated with maternal and child undernutrition in rural communities in Ethiopia
Addressing maternal and child undernutrition is a priority for the National Nutrition Program of Ethiopia. In a cross-sectional design, we selected mother-child pairs (n = 630) from Halaba, south Ethiopia (n = 413, two communities) and Zeway, Oromiya region (n = 217, one community). These communities were previously included in a project to improve agricultural […]
Incidence and determinants of severe maternal outcome in Jimma University teaching hospital, south-West Ethiopia: A prospective cross-sectional study
Background: Investigating cases of severe maternal morbidity (SMM) and severe maternal outcome (SMO) and the quality of maternal health care using near-miss approach has become popular over recent years. The aim of this study was to determine facility based incidence and the determinants of severe maternal outcome (SMO) using this approach. Methods: Prospective cross-sectional study […]
Target areas to reduce the burden of maternal death due to obstetric hemorrhage in Ethiopia
Background Obstetric hemorrhage is defined as active bleeding of more than 500 ml in vaginal delivery or 1000ml following cesarean delivery. It is the leading cause of maternal death, which contributes to up to 50% of maternal deaths in Ethiopia. This study aims to assess the relationships between adverse maternal health exposure (personal and medical […]
Brazilian network for the surveillance of maternal potentially life threatening morbidity and maternal near-miss and a multidimensional evaluation of their long term consequences
Background. It has been suggested that the study of women who survive life-threatening complications related to pregnancy (maternal near-miss cases) may represent a practical alternative to surveillance of maternal morbidity/mortality since the number of cases is higher and the woman herself is able to provide information on the difficulties she faced and the long-term repercussions […]
Severe Maternal Outcomes and Quality of Maternal Health Care in South Ethiopia
Objective: To assess the incidence of severe maternal outcomes (SMO) and quality of maternal health care in south Ethiopia. Methods: A facility-based prospective study was conducted in three hospitals among all women who presented while pregnant, during and after childbirth between 12 July and 26 November 2018. Participants were followed from the time of admission […]
Potential impact of midwives in preventing and reducing maternal and neonatal mortality and stillbirths: a Lives Saved Tool modelling study
Background: Strengthening the capacity of midwives to deliver high-quality maternal and newborn health services has been highlighted as a priority by global health organisations. To support low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) in their decisions about investments in health, we aimed to estimate the potential impact of midwives on reducing maternal and neonatal deaths and stillbirths […]
Rural-urban inequity in unmet obstetric needs and functionality of emergency obstetric care services in a Zambian district
Background: Zambia has a high maternal mortality ratio, 398/100,000 live births. Few pregnant women access emergency obstetric care services to handle complications at childbirth. We aimed to assess the deficit in life-saving obstetric services in the rural and urban areas of Kapiri Mposhi district. Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2011 as part of […]
Assessing Community Acceptance of Maternal Immunisation in Rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: A Qualitative Investigation
Despite the significant benefits of maternal immunisation, uptake remains low in many parts of the world. In this qualitative study, we aimed to assess the factors that influence pregnant women’s decision to engage with maternal immunisation in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. We conducted in-depth interviews with a total of 28 purposively sampled pregnant women and […]
