A qualitative study of community elders’ perceptions about the underutilization of formal maternal care and maternal death in rural Nigeria
Background: Underutilization of formal maternal care services and accredited health attendants is a major contributor to the high maternal mortality rates in rural communities in Nigeria. Perceptions of a poor quality of care and inaccessible services in health facilities strongly influence the low use of formal maternal care services. There is therefore a need to […]
Can people-centered community-oriented interventions improve skilled birth attendance? Evidence from a quasi-experimental study in rural communities of Cambodia, Kenya, and Zambia
Background: Skilled attendance at delivery is a key marker for reducing maternal mortality. Effective community engagement strategies complemented by community health worker (CHW) services can improve access to maternal health services in areas with limited health infrastructure or workforce. Methods: A quasi-experimental study with matched comparison groups was conducted in Cambodia, Kenya and Zambia to […]
Improving health care facility birth rates in Rorya District, Tanzania: a multiple baseline trial
Background: Rates of maternal mortality and morbidity in Africa remain unacceptably high, as many women deliver at home, without access to skilled birth attendants and life-saving medications. In rural Tanzania, women face significant barriers accessing health care facilities for their deliveries. Methods: From January 2017 to February 2019 we conducted a multiple baseline (interrupted time […]
Adolescent girls, a forgotten population in resource-limited settings in the COVID-19 pandemic: implications for sexual and reproductive health outcomes
Adolescent sexual and reproductive health is an essential aspect that may be forgotten in the COVID-19 pandemic. Valuable insights gained from previous humanitarian crises indicate undesirable short and long-term adolescent maternal consequences in low resource settings. Young girls are at a higher risk of dropping out of school and being forced into early child marriages […]
Essential health services delivery in zimbabwe during the covid-19 pandemic: Perspectives and recommendations
Zimbabwe reported its first case of COVID-19 on 20 March 2020, and since then the number has increased to over 4000. To contain the spread of the causative SARS-CoV-2 and prepare the healthcare system, public health interventions, including lockdowns, were imposed on 30 March 2020. These resulted in disruptions in healthcare provision, and movement of […]
Scaling up early infant diagnosis of HIV in Rwanda, 2008-2010
More than 390 000 children are newly infected with HIV each year, only 28 per cent of whom benefit from early infant diagnosis (EID). Rwanda’s Ministry of Health identified several major challenges hindering EID scale-up in care of HIV-positive infants. It found poor counseling and follow-up by caregivers of HIV-exposed infants, lack of coordination with […]
Household energy insecurity: dimensions and consequences for women, infants and children in low- and middle-income countries
Energy insecurity, the lack of access to adequate, affordable, reliable, acceptable, and clean sources of energy for a healthy and sustainable livelihood, poses a challenge to several households. However, the conceptualization of its dimensions and role in the health outcomes of women, infants, and children in most sub-Saharan African countries have rarely been investigated systematically. […]
Observed trends in the magnitude of socioeconomic and area-based inequalities in use of caesarean section in Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study
Background: In Ethiopia, there is a paucity of studies on inequality in caesarean section using methodologically rigorous and well-established approaches. In this study, we showed extent and the overtime dynamics of inequality in caesarean section in Ethiopia following rigorous methodologies. Methods: The data for analysis came from Ethiopia Demographic and Health Surveys (EDHS) conducted between […]
The developmental effects of HIV and alcohol: A comparison of gestational outcomes among babies from South African communities with high prevalence of HIV and alcohol use
Background: There is growing evidence of the negative impact of alcohol on morbidity and mortality of individuals living with HIV but limited evidence of in utero effects of HIV and alcohol on exposure on infants. Methods: We conducted a population-based birth cohort study (N=667 mother-infant dyads) in South Africa to investigate whether maternal alcohol use […]
Policymaker, health provider and community perspectives on male involvement during pregnancy in southern Mozambique: A qualitative study
Background: Increasing male involvement during pregnancy is considered an important, but often overlooked intervention for improving maternal health in sub-Saharan Africa. Intervention studies aimed at improving maternal health mostly target mothers hereby ignoring the crucial role their partners play in their ability to access antenatal care (ANC) and to prevent and treat infectious diseases like […]
