Barriers and facilitators to combined ART initiation in pregnant women with HIV: Lessons learnt from a PMTCT B+ pilot program in Swaziland
Background: In January 2013, Swaziland launched a prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) B+ implementation study in rural Shiselweni. We aimed to identify patient and health service determinants of combined antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation to help guide national implementation of PMTCT B+. Methods: This prospective cohort study uses routine data from registers and patient […]
Usability, acceptability, and feasibility of the World Health Organization Labour Care Guide: A mixed-methods, multicountry evaluation
Introduction: The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Labour Care Guide (LCG) is a “next-generation” partograph based on WHO’s latest intrapartum care recommendations. It aims to optimize clinical care provided to women and their experience of care. We evaluated the LCG’s usability, feasibility, and acceptability among maternity care practitioners in clinical settings. Methods: Mixed-methods evaluation with doctors, […]
Care-seeking patterns among families that experienced under-five child mortality in rural Rwanda
Background Over half of under-five deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa and appropriate, timely, quality care is critical for saving children’s lives. This study describes the context surrounding children’s deaths from the time the illness was first noticed, through the care-seeking patterns leading up to the child’s death, and identifies factors associated with care-seeking for these […]
Beyond the biomedical: Community resources for mental health care in rural Ethiopia
Background: The focus of discussion in addressing the treatment gap is often on biomedical services. However, community resources can benefit health service scale-up in resource-constrained settings. These assets can be captured systematically through resource mapping, a method used in social action research. Resource mapping can be informative in developing complex mental health interventions, particularly in […]
Deaths ascribed to non-communicable diseases among rural kenyan adults are proportionately increasing: Evidence from a health and demographic surveillance system, 2003-2010
Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) result in more deaths globally than other causes. Monitoring systems require strengthening to attribute the NCD burden and deaths in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Data from health and demographic surveillance systems (HDSS) can contribute towards this goal. Methods and Findings: Between 2003 and 2010, 15,228 deaths in adults aged 15 […]
“If I had known, I would have applied”: Poor communication, job dissatisfaction, and attrition of rural health workers in Sierra Leone
Background: Sierra Leone’s health outcomes rank among the worst in the world. A major challenge is the shortage of primary healthcare workers (HCWs) in rural areas due to especially high rates of attrition. This study was undertaken to determine the drivers of job dissatisfaction and poor retention among Sierra Leone’s rural HCWs. Methods: Interviews were […]
Self-reported disability in relation to mortality in rural Malawi: a longitudinal study of over 16 000 adults
OBJECTIVES: We investigated whether self-reported disability was associated with mortality in adults in rural Malawi. SETTING: Karonga Health and Demographic Surveillance Site (HDSS), Northern Malawi. PARTICIPANTS: All adults aged 18 and over residing in the HDSS were eligible to participate. During annual censuses in 2014 and 2015, participants were asked if they experienced difficulty in […]
Anaemia and its determinants among young children aged 6–23 months in Ethiopia (2005–2016)
Anaemia in children remains a significant public health threat. Recent numbers from Ethiopia showed that more than two-thirds of children under the age of 2 years were anaemic. This study aimed to investigate the determinants of anaemia throughout Ethiopia over 11 years, making use of the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) rounds 2005, 2011 […]
Reduction in child mortality in Ethiopia: Analysis of data from demographic and health surveys
Background To examine changes in under-5 mortality, coverage of child survival interventions and nutritional status of children in Ethiopia between 2000 and 2011. Using the Lives Saved Tool, the impact of changes in coverage of child survival interventions on under-5 lives saved was estimated. Methods Estimates of child mortality were generated using three Ethiopia Demographic […]
A multi-country cross-sectional study of self-reported sexually transmitted infections among sexually active men in sub-Saharan Africa
Background: Despite the importance of self-reporting health in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) control, studies on self-reported sexually transmitted infections (SR-STIs) are scanty, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study assessed the prevalence and factors associated with SR-STIs among sexually active men (SAM) in SSA. Methods: Analysis was done based on the current Demographic and Health […]
