Development and initial validation of a frontline health worker mHealth assessment platform (MEDSINC®) for children 2-60 months of age
Approximately 3 million children younger than 5 years living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) die each year from treatable clinical conditions such as pneumonia, dehydration secondary to diarrhea, and malaria. A majority of these deaths could be prevented with early clinical assessments and appropriate therapeutic intervention. In this study, we describe the development and […]
Efficacy of a digital health tool on contraceptive ideation and use in Nigeria: Results of a cluster-randomized control trial
Background: Contraceptive prevalence in Nigeria remains among the lowest in the world, which substantially contributes to the country’s high maternal and child mortality. Mobile phone technology penetration has increased considerably in Nigeria, opening opportunities for programs to use this medium for reaching their intended audience with health-protective information. Methods: In 2017, the Health Communication Capacity […]
Views among Malawian women about joining HIV prevention clinical trials when pregnant
Background: The pressing need to expand the biomedical HIV prevention evidence base during pregnancy is now increasingly recognized. Women’s views regarding participation in such trials and initiating PrEP while pregnant are critical to inform evolving policy and best practices aimed at responsibly expanding evidence-based access for this population. Methods: We conducted 35 semi-structured interviews with […]
Collective reflections on the first cycle of a collaborative learning platform to strengthen rural primary healthcare in Mpumalanga, South Africa
Background: Frontline managers and health service providers are constrained in many contexts from responding to community priorities due to organizational cultures focused on centrally defined outputs and targets. This paper presents an evaluation of the Verbal Autopsy with Participatory Action Research (VAPAR) programme—a collaborative learning platform embedded in the local health system in Mpumalanga, South […]
Trends and predictors of modern contraceptive use among married women: Analysis of 2000–2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys
Objectives: Accessing family planning is a key investment in reducing the broader costs of health care and can reduce a significant proportion of maternal, infant, and childhood deaths. In Ethiopia, use of modern contraceptive methods is still low but it is steadily increasing. Identifying the contributing factors to the changes in contraceptive use among women […]
The causal effect of childhood measles vaccination on educational attainment: A mother fixed-effects study in rural South Africa
Background: Because measles vaccination prevents acute measles disease and morbidities secondary to measles, such as undernutrition, blindness, and brain damage, the vaccination may also lead to higher educational attainment. However, there has been little evidence to support this hypothesis at the population level. In this study, we estimate the causal effect of childhood measles vaccination […]
Improving the quality of postabortion care services in Togo increased uptake of contraception
High-quality postabortion care (PAC) services that include family planning counseling and a full range of contraceptives at point of treatment for abortion complications have great potential to break the cycle of repeat unintended pregnancies and demand for abortions. We describe the first application of a systematic approach to quality improvement of PAC services in a […]
Determinants of diarrhoeal diseases and height-for-age Z-scores in children under five years of age in rural central Tanzania
Introduction. Childhood diarrhoeal diseases and stunting are major health problems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Poor water supply, sanitation services and hygiene, frequently encountered in resource-poor settings, contribute to childhood diarrhoea and stunting. Methods. Data on demographic characteristics, hygiene practices, sanitation and human-animal interactions (predictors) and child height-for-age z-scores (HAZ) (outcome) were collected once, […]
Readiness of rural health facilities to provide immediate postpartum care in Uganda
Background: Nearly 60% of maternal and 45% of newborn deaths occur within 24 h after delivery. Immediate postpartum monitoring could avert death from preventable causes including postpartum hemorrhage, and eclampsia among mothers, and birth asphyxia, hypothermia, and sepsis for babies. We aimed at assessing facility readiness for the provision of postpartum care within the immediate […]
Determinants of postnatal care use at health facilities in rural Tanzania: Multilevel analysis of a household survey
Background: Postnatal care (PNC) for the mother and infant is a neglected area, even for women who give birth in a health facility. Currently, there is very little evidence on the determinants of use of postnatal care from health facilities in Tanzania. Methods: This study examined the role of individual and community-level variables on the […]
