Examining person-centered maternity care in a peri-urban setting in Embakasi, Nairobi, Kenya
Introduction Peri-urban settings have high maternal mortality and the quality of care received in different types of health facilities is varied. Yet few studies have explored the construct of person-centered maternity care (PCMC) within peri-urban settings. Understanding women’s experience of maternity care in peri-urban settings will allow health facility managers and policy makers to improve […]
Scaling up Locally Adapted Clinical Practice Guidelines for Improving Childbirth Care in Tanzania: A Protocol for Programme Theory and Qualitative Methods of the PartoMa Scale-up Study
Effective, low-cost clinical interventions to improve facility-based care during childbirth are critical to reduce maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity in low-resource settings. While health interventions for low- and lower-middle-income countries are often developed and implemented top-down, needs and circumstances vary greatly across locations. Our pilot study in Zanzibar improved care through locally co-created intrapartum […]
Challenges Faced by Female Out-of-School Adolescents in Accessing and Utilizing Sexual and Reproductive Health Service: A Qualitative Exploratory Study in Southwest, Ethiopia
Introduction: Due to the limited access to sexual and reproductive health service, out-of-school-adolescents become at a higher risk for early marriage, early pregnancy early parenthood, and poor health outcomes over their life course. Hence, the aim of this study was to explore the challenges faced by female out-of-school adolescents in accessing sexual and reproductive health […]
Building knowledge, optimising physical and mental health and setting up healthier life trajectories in South African women (Bukhali): A preconception randomised control trial part of the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI)
Introduction South Africa’s evolving burden of disease is challenging due to a persistent infectious disease, burgeoning obesity, most notably among women and rising rates of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). With two thirds of women presenting at their first antenatal visit either overweight or obese in urban South Africa (SA), the preconception period is an opportunity to […]
An evaluation of childhood tuberculosis program in Chegutu District, Zimbabwe, 2020: a descriptive cross-sectional study
Background: Childhood tuberculosis (TB) is a major global public health concern contributing to significant child morbidity and mortality. A records review of the TB notification for Chegutu District Health Information System 2 (DHIS2) showed a low childhood TB case detection rate. For 2018 and 2019, childhood TB notifications were 4% and 7% respectively against the […]
Factors associated with utilization of quality antenatal care: a secondary data analysis of Rwandan Demographic Health Survey 2020
Background: Over the last decade, progress in reducing maternal mortality in Rwanda has been slow, from 210 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2015 to 203 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. Access to quality antenatal care (ANC) can substantially reduce maternal and newborn mortality. Several studies have investigated factors that influence the use […]
Mid-term evaluation of Maternal and Child Nutrition Programme (MCNP II) in Kenya
Background: Kenya is faced with a triple burden of malnutrition which is multi-faceted with health and socio-economic implications. Huge geographical disparities exist, especially, in the arid and semi-arid lands exacerbated by inadequate resource allocation to the nutrition sector and challenges in multi-sectoral coordination and nutrition governance. UNICEF’s Maternal and Child Nutrition Programme is a four-year […]
Impact of antimalarial resistance and COVID-19 pandemic on malaria care among pregnant women in Northern Uganda (ERASE): protocol of a prospective observational study
Background: Uganda accounts for 5% of all malaria cases and deaths reported globally and, in endemic countries, pregnancy is a risk factor for both acquisition of P. falciparum infection and development of severe malaria. In recent years, malaria control has been threatened by COVID-19 pandemic and by the emergence, in Northern Uganda, of both resistance […]
Caring for providers to improve patient experience (CPIPE): intervention development process
A growing body of research has documented disrespectful, abusive, and neglectful treatment of women in facilities during childbirth, as well as the drivers of such mistreatment. Yet, little research exists on effective interventions to improve Person-Centred Maternal Care (PCMC)—care that is respectful and responsive to individual women’s preferences, needs, and values. We sought to extend […]
A Text Messaging–Based Support Intervention to Enhance Pre-exposure Prophylaxis for HIV Prevention Adherence During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial
Background: Cisgender women in Kenya are at elevated risk of HIV acquisition during pregnancy and post partum. Acute HIV infection during pregnancy and breastfeeding accounts for approximately one-third of all vertical HIV transmissions. The World Health Organization recommends offering oral tenofovir-based pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to pregnant and postpartum women who are HIV negative but at […]
