Reflections on Digital Maternal and Child Health Support for Mothers and Community Health Workers in Rural Areas of Limpopo Province, South Africa
Introduction: Digital health support using mobile and digital technologies, such as MomConnect and WhatsApp, is providing opportunities to improve maternal and child healthcare in low- and middle-income countries. Yet, the perspective of health service providers, pregnant women, and mothers as recipients of digital health support is under-researched in rural areas. Material and Methods: An exploratory-descriptive […]
Public health risks of humanitarian crises in Mozambique
Mozambique has been experiencing various humanitarian crises with important public health implications over the last years. These crises compound underlying disease burden dominated by human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and malaria [1]. Despite important health gains over the last two decades, the number of deaths and disability-adjusted […]
Community and informal care providers at the heart of universal health coverage in sub-saharan africa: A position paper
Globally, increased demand on often scarce healthcare resources and those challenges incumbent in responding to the coexistence of infectious and non-communicable diseases warrant the need to address persistent health inequities. Understanding the complex intersectionality of vulnerability and reaching those in most critical need of healthcare lies at the heart of fostering and sustaining resilient healthcare […]
Impact of COVID-19 on utilization of maternal, newborn and child health services in Nigeria: protocol for a countrylevel mixed-methods study [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]
Background: Battling with COVID-19 and providing essential services along the continuum of care could be challenging. This study will evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on utilization of maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) services in Nigeria and explore the barriers being experienced by women and their families in getting access to MNCH services, as well […]
Multisite, mixed methods study to validate 10 maternal health system and policy indicators in Argentina, Ghana and India: A research protocol
Introduction Most efforts to assess maternal health indicator validity focus on measures of service coverage. Fewer measures focus on the upstream enabling environment, and such measures are typically not research validated. Thus, methods for validating system and policy-level indicators are not well described. This protocol describes original multicountry research to be conducted in Argentina, Ghana […]
Impact of COVID-19 on utilization of maternal, newborn and child health services in Nigeria: Protocol for a country-level mixed-methods study
Background: Battling with COVID-19 and providing essential services along the continuum of care could be challenging. This study will evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on utilization of maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) services in Nigeria and explore the barriers being experienced by women and their families in getting access to MNCH services, as well […]
Health-seeking behaviour among pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study
Background: The novel coronavirus pandemic has killed millions of people globally while significantly destroying the social, economic, and political wellbeing of people. The global pandemic has negatively impacted pregnant women’s access to prenatal care. The current study sought to understand the health-seeking behaviour of women who were pregnant during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic […]
Women’s views and experiences of accessing pertussis vaccination in pregnancy and infant vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multi-methods study in the UK
Background: COVID-19 changed access to healthcare, including vaccinations, in the United Kingdom (UK). This study explored UK women’s experiences of accessing pertussis vaccination during pregnancy and infant vaccinations during COVID-19. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was completed, between 3rd August-11th October 2020, by 1404 women aged 16+ years who were pregnant at some point after […]
Perceptions of COVID-19 Maternal Vaccination among Pregnant Women and Healthcare Workers and Factors That Influence Vaccine Acceptance: A Cross-Sectional Study in Barcelona, Spain
COVID-19 is associated with poor maternal and pregnancy outcomes. COVID-19 vaccination is recommended in Spain, yet vaccination rates in pregnancy are suboptimal. This study investigates the perceptions of pregnant women and healthcare workers (HCW) regarding COVID-19 vaccination. A web-based cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted in 2021–2022 among 302 pregnant women and 309 HCWs in the […]
Health care providers’ perceptions of barriers to perinatal mental healthcare in South Africa
Background: Perinatal mental disorders are a leading contributor to morbidity and mortality during pregnancy and postpartum, and are highly treatable when identified early. However, many women, especially in low and middle-income countries, lack access to routine identification and treatment of mental illness in public health settings. The prevalence of perinatal depression and anxiety disorders, common […]
