Learning from changes concurrent with implementing a complex and dynamic intervention to improve urban maternal and perinatal health in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 2011-2019
Introduction Rapid urbanisation in Dar es Salaam, the main commercial hub in Tanzania, has resulted in congested health facilities, poor quality care, and unacceptably high facility-based maternal and perinatal mortality. Using a participatory approach, the Dar es Salaam regional government in partnership with a non-governmental organisation, Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania, implemented a complex, […]
Ghana’s national health insurance scheme and maternal and child health: A mixed methods study
Background: Ghana is attracting global attention for efforts to provide health insurance to all citizens through the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). With the program’s strong emphasis on maternal and child health, an expectation of the program is that members will have increased use of relevant services. Methods: This paper uses qualitative and quantitative data […]
An assessment of maternal health issues in two villages in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa
The fifth Millennium Development Goal of improving maternal health was placed on the international agenda and endorsed by global leaders at the Millennium Summit held in 2000. The aim of this baseline study was to conduct a situational analysis of key maternal health issues in two rural Eastern Cape villages in South Africa: Glenmore and […]
Intermittent Preventive Therapy with Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine for Malaria in Pregnancy: A Cross-Sectional Study from Tororo, Uganda
Background:Intermittent preventive treatment during pregnancy (IPTp) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) is widely recommended in sub-Saharan Africa to reduce the risk of malaria and improve birth outcomes. However, there are reports that the efficacy of IPTp with SP is waning, especially in parts of Africa where antimalarial resistance to this drug has become widespread.Methodology/Principal Findings:We conducted a […]
Determinants of timing, adequacy and quality of antenatal care in Rwanda: a cross-sectional study using demographic and health surveys data
Background: Antenatal care (ANC) is a recommended intervention to lessen maternal and neonatal mortality. The increased rate in ANC coverage in most Sub-Saharan African countries is not considerably reducing the maternal and neonatal mortality. This disconnection has raised concerns to study further the trend and determinants of the ANC timing and quality. We aimed to […]
Working lives of maternity healthcare workers in Malawi: an ethnography to identify ways to improve care
BACKGROUND: Maternal mortality in East Africa is high with a maternal mortality rate of 428 per 100,000 live births. Malawi, whilst comparing favourably to East Africa as a whole, continues to have a high maternal mortality rate (349 per 100,000 live births) despite it being reduced by 53% since 2000. To make further improvements in […]
Can she make it? Transportation barriers to accessing maternal and child health care services in rural Ghana
Background: The Ghana Community based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) strategy targets to bring health services to the doorsteps of clients in a manner that improves maternal and child health outcomes. In this strategy, referral is an important component but it is threatened in a rural context where transportation service is a problem. Few studies […]
Place of Delivery Associated With Postnatal Care Utilization Among Childbearing Women in Zambia
Objective: Postnatal care (PNC) utilization is critical to the prevention of maternal morbidity and mortality. Despite its importance, the proportion of women utilizing this service is still low in Zambia. We investigated if place of delivery was associated with PNC utilization in the first 48 h among childbearing women in Zambia. Methods: Data from the […]
Determinants of depressive symptoms among postpartum mothers: a cross-sectional study in Ethiopia
Objective This study aims to assess the determinants of depressive symptoms among postpartum mothers. Design A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted. Setting Ten randomly selected rural kebeles of Meket district of Ethiopia. Participants A random sample of 232 mothers with infants 5-10 months was included in this study. Data analysis Forward multivariable logistic regression analysis. […]
Delayed illness recognition and multiple referrals: A qualitative study exploring care-seeking trajectories contributing to maternal and newborn illnesses and death in southern Tanzania
Background: Maternal and neonatal mortality remain high in southern Tanzania despite an increasing number of births occurring in health facilities. In search for reasons for the persistently high mortality rates, we explored illness recognition, decision-making and care-seeking for cases of maternal and neonatal illness and death. Methods: We conducted 48 in-depth interviews (16 participants who […]
