Does healthcare voucher provision improve utilisation in the continuum of maternal care for poor pregnant women? Experience from Bangladesh
Background: Improving maternal health is a major development goal, with ambitious targets set for high-mortality countries like Bangladesh. Following a steep decline in the maternal mortality ratio over the past decade in Bangladesh, progress has plateaued at 196/100,000 live births. A voucher scheme was initiated in 2007 to reduce financial, geographical and institutional barriers to […]
A prospective study of maternal, fetal and neonatal deaths in low- and middle-income countries
Objective: To quantify maternal, fetal and neonatal mortality in low- and middle-income countries, to identify when deaths occur and to identify relationships between maternal deaths and stillbirths and neonatal deaths. Methods: A prospective study of pregnancy outcomes was performed in 106 communities at seven sites in Argentina, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Pakistan and Zambia. Pregnant women […]
Psychological interventions for maternal depression among women of African and Caribbean origin: a systematic review
Background: Maternal depression is a leading cause of disease burden for women worldwide; however, there are ethnic inequalities in access to psychological interventions in high-income countries (HICs). Culturally appropriate interventions might prove beneficial for African and Caribbean women living in HICs as ethnic minorities. Methods: The review strategy was formulated using the PICo (Population, phenomenon of […]
Uterine rupture in a teaching hospital in Mbarara, western Uganda, unmatched case-control study
Background: Uterine rupture is one of the most devastating complications of labour that exposes the mother and foetus to grave danger hence contributing to the high maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity in Uganda. Every year, 6000 women die due to complications of pregnancy and childbirth, uterine rupture accounts for about 8% of all maternal […]
Determinants of the continuum of maternal healthcare services in northwest Ethiopia: Findings from the primary health care project
Background. The maternity continuum of care is the continuity of maternal healthcare services that a woman uses, which includes antenatal care (ANC 4+), skill birth attendant (SBA), and postnatal care (PNC) within 48 hours of delivery. It is one of the essential strategies for reducing maternal and newborn mortality. This study aimed to assess the […]
Maternal mortality in Kassala State – Eastern Sudan: Community-based study using Reproductive age mortality survey (RAMOS)
Background: The maternal mortality ratio in Sudan was estimated at 750/100,000 live births. Sudan was one of eleven countries that are responsible for 65% of global maternal deaths according to a recent World Health Organization (WHO) estimate. Maternal mortality in Kassala State was high in national demographic surveys. This study was conducted to investigate the […]
Association of maternal depression and anxiety with toddler social-emotional and cognitive development in South Africa: A prospective cohort study
Objective A robust literature has identified associations between prenatal maternal depression and adverse child social-emotional and cognitive outcomes. The majority of prior research is from high-income countries despite increased reporting of perinatal depression in low/middle-income countries (LMICs). Additionally, despite the comorbidity between depression and anxiety, few prior studies have examined their joint impact on child […]
Addressing inequity to achieve the maternal and child health millennium development goals: Looking beyond averages
Background: Inequity in access to and use of child and maternal health interventions is impeding progress towards the maternal and child health Millennium Development Goals. This study explores the potential health gains and equity impact if a set of priority interventions for mothers and under fives were scaled up to reach national universal coverage targets […]
Household food insecurity, coping strategies, and nutritional status of pregnant women in rural areas of Northern Ghana
There is limited information on the magnitude and determinants of household food insecurity (HFI) and how it relates to the nutritional status of pregnant women in Northern Ghana. The magnitude, determinants of HFI, and how it relates to the nutritional status of pregnant women were evaluated in the Africa RISING West Africa project intervention communities […]
Perinatal mortality and its association with antenatal care visit, maternal tetanus toxoid immunization and partograph utilization in Ethiopia: a meta-analysis
Despite remarkable progress in the reduction of under-five mortality; perinatal mortality is the major public health problem in Africa. In Ethiopia, the study findings on perinatal mortality and its predictors were inconsistent. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis estimated the pooled perinatal mortality, and its association with antenatal care visit, maternal tetanus toxoid immunization, and […]
