Men’s perception of barriers to women’s use and access of skilled pregnancy care in rural Nigeria: A qualitative study
Background: Greater paternal engagement is positively associated with improved access to and utilization of maternal services. Despite evidence that male involvement increased uptake of maternal and child services, studies show that few men are participating in MNCH programs. Community leaders have long been engaged in public health promotion in rural settings and have been shown […]
Maternity waiting Home-use and associated factors among mothers in northwest Ethiopia, The application of the integrated behavioral model
Background: Maternal mortality in Ethiopia is the highest in the world (412/100,000). Health facility delivery is the cornerstone in reducing maternal mortality. However, health facility delivery is low in Ethiopia, due to poor access and ill-equipped health facilities. Maternity waiting home (MWH) is one of the comprehensive packages of essential obstetric services, enabling women to […]
Exploring the feasibility of eHealth solutions to decrease delays in maternal healthcare in remote communities of Ghana
Background: Despite the introduction of the Millennium Development Goal to reduce maternal deaths from 400 to 100 per 100,000 live births, the proportion of maternal deaths is still much higher in most developing countries like Ghana. Various interventions have been implemented in Ghana that focus on increasing skilled maternal care. These are especially needed in […]
Unmet need for essential obstetric services in a rural district in northern Ghana: Complications of unsafe abortions remain a major cause of mortality
Aim: The aim of this study was to review 4 years of hospital data on antenatal services, deliveries and maternal deaths as the baseline evaluation for a programme to improve care. Methods: Descriptive analyses were made of data extracted from the monthly returns charts and clinical notes on all maternal deaths from January 2001 to […]
Gendered dimensions of accountability to address health workforce shortages in northern nigeria
Northern Nigeria has some of the worst health indices in sub‑Saharan Africa. Poor health outcomes are the result of multiple factors, including the lack of front-line health workers in rural and hardto- reach areas. In 2012, funded by UK aid and DFID, the Women for Health programme was created to address the issue of gendered […]
Determinants of access to health care among women in East African countries: A multilevel analysis of recent demographic and health surveys from 2008 to 2017
Background: Access to essential health care is one of the major factors associated with maternal mortality. In developing countries, improving women’s access to health care has significantly reduced maternal death. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the determinants of access to health care among women in East African countries based on 2008 to 2017 Demographic […]
Applying a Client-centered Approach to Maternal and Neonatal Networks of Care: Case Studies from Urban and Rural Nigeria
In Nigeria, two maternal and neonatal health Networks of Care (NOC) focus on extending the reach and quality of routine and emergency maternal and neonatal health services tailored to the different contexts. This paper uses the four domains of the NOC framework—Agreements and Enabling Environment, Operational Standards, Quality, Efficiency and Responsibility, and Learning and Adaptation—to […]
Maternal mortality and maternal health care in Nigeria: Implications for socio-economic development
BACKGROUND: Even though maternal mortality, which is a pregnancy-related death is preventable, it has continued to increase in many nations of the world, especially in the African countries of the sub-Saharan regions caused by factors which include a low level of socioeconomic development. AIM: This paper focuses on cogent issues affecting maternal mortality by unpacking […]
A narrative literature review on media and maternal health in Africa
Health communication is a strategy used to disseminate health information to individuals and communities to enable them to make decisions that will enhance their health and well-being. Particularly in the era of digital health, such strategies tend to emphasize health promotion and disease prevention. Access to essential health information is a fundamental aspect of an […]
Seasonal variations in household food insecurity and dietary diversity and their association with maternal and child nutritional status in rural Ethiopia
Food availability and access are strongly affected by seasonality in rural households in Ethiopia. However, relationships between household food insecurity indicators and dietary diversity and nutritional status of reproductive age mothers and their young children are unclear. A longitudinal study was conducted among 800 farming households in lowland and midland agro-ecological zones of rural Ethiopia […]
