Contribution of obstetrics and gynecology societies in West and Central African countries to the prevention of unsafe abortion
Unsafe abortion is a major public health issue in low-resource countries. In the countries of West and Central Africa, abortion-related maternal mortality rates are extremely high, the prevalence of modern contraceptive use is very low, and the unmet need for family planning is also high. The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Initiative for […]
Integrating reproductive and child health and HIV services in Tanzania: Implication to policy, systems and services
In Tanzania, reproductive health and HIV services are coordinated by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in two separate units namely Reproductive and Child Health Section and the National AIDS Control Programme. The importance of integrating the two services that are vertically run is expected to improve access to and uptake of key essential […]
Socio-economic differences in cost of pregnancy-related health services in the peri-urban Accra, Ghana
Background Financial and physical barriers are known to limit access to maternal health services in developing countries. These limitations are often compounded by the low socio-economic status of women. This study examined socio-economic differences in health services cost incurred by pregnant women. Methods A cross-sectional cost survey of 300 women who had delivered a live […]
Community-physician-based versus hospital-based antenatal care: A comparison of patient satisfaction
Background: Strategies to meet the healthcare needs of pregnant women are made available throughout antenatal, intra-partum and post-natal periods. These strategies are aimed at reducing perinatal and maternal mortality amongst women who access and utilize healthcare at an early stage. Late visits with irregular antenatal attendance result in failure to adequately use antenatal interventions. Objectives: […]
Where you live matters: Township neighborhood factors important to resilience among south African children from birth to 5 years of age
Objective: This is a secondary analysis examining neighborhood factors predicting high rates of child resilience in South African Township neighborhoods. Methods: A population cohort of South African pregnant women (98%; n = 1238), were recruited and assessed across five years with high follow-up rates (83–96%). Resilient children were identified based on consistently meeting global standards […]
Becoming a mother in Senegal: The experience of motherhood in a setting of social injustice and health service failures
We explain here the processes through which social injustice is created, the indicators that define social status, and the mechanism that express them in the field of health. Because we do not believe that they come out of any natural process, we seek to discover the extent to which they are socially produced. The data […]
Mapping knowledge management resources of maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) among people living in rural and urban settings of Ilorin, Nigeria
Introduction: Lack of access to information and knowledge about mother and child health was identified as a major contributor to poor maternal and child health in Nigeria. The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) has recognized mapping the knowledge management of Maternal Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) as one of the major strategies […]
Maternal education and childbirth care in Uganda
Background Globally, over 500,000 females die of complications related to pregnancy and childbirth each year, and of these, over 99% of deaths occur in developing countries such as Uganda. Utilisation of modern and professional care during delivery is important in lowering maternal mortality. This paper sets out to investigate the factors associated with the utilisation […]
Undernutrition and its associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care at public health facilities in pastoral communities of Afar Regional State, northeast Ethiopia
Background: Maternal malnutrition during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriages and foetal deaths, pre-term delivery, and maternal mortality. However, limited studies have been conducted in Ethiopia that may not represent the problem among pregnant women in pastoral communities like the Afar region. Therefore, this study assessed the prevalence and associated factors of undernutrition among pregnant […]
Health & Demographic Surveillance System Profile: The Ifakara Rural and Urban Health and Demographic Surveillance System (Ifakara HDSS)
The Ifakara Rural HDSS (125 000 people) was set up in 1996 for a trial of the effectiveness of social marketing of bed nets on morbidity and mortality of children aged under 5 years, whereas the Ifakara Urban HDSS (45 000 people) since 2007 has provided demographic indicators for a typical small urban centre setting. […]
