“Mine did not breastfeed”, mothers’ experiences in breastfeeding children aged 0 to 24 months with oral clefts in Uganda
Background: Appropriate breastfeeding is vital for infant and young child nutrition. Annually, oral clefts affect 0.73 per 1000 children in Uganda. Despite this low incidence, children with a cleft face breastfeeding difficulty which affect their nutrition status. In addition, knowledge on maternal experiences with breastfeeding and support is limited. We explored maternal perceptions, experiences with […]
The changing temporal association between caesarean birth and neonatal death in Ethiopia: Secondary analysis of nationally representative surveys
Objective To examine the changing temporal association between caesarean birth and neonatal death within the context of Ethiopia from 2000 to 2016. Design Secondary analysis of Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys. Setting All administrative regions of Ethiopia with surveys conducted in 2000, 2005, 2011 and 2016. Participants Women aged 15-49 years with a live birth […]
Dietary diversity and anthropometric status of mother–child pairs from enset (False banana) staple areas: A panel evidence from southern Ethiopia
Background: A sizable cross-sectional studies demonstrated a low dietary diversity in Southern Ethiopia. However, its seasonal trend has not been well studied in areas where nutrient-poor enset (false banana (Ensete ventricosum)) foods are major staple. Moreover, there is scarcity of information on seasonal nature of anthropometric status of mother–child pairs (MCP) from the same areas […]
COVID-19 Preventive Practices, Psychological Distress, and Reported Barriers to Healthcare Access during the Pandemic among Adult Community Members in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Phone Survey
The COVID-19 pandemic has had serious negative health and economic impacts in sub-Saharan Africa. Continuous monitoring of these impacts is crucial to formulate interventions to minimize the consequences of COVID-19. This study surveyed 2,829 adults in urban and rural sites among five sub-Saharan African countries: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Ghana. Participants completed a […]
Determinants of accessing healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa: A mixed-effect analysis of recent Demographic and Health Surveys from 36 countries
Objective This study aimed to assess the determinants of accessing healthcare among reproductive-age women in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Design, setting and analysis Cross-sectional data were sourced from recent Demographic and Health Surveys in 36 SSA countries. We employed mixed-effect analysis to identify the determinants of accessing healthcare in SSA. OR and its 95% CI were […]
Estimating Child Mortality at the Sub-national Level in Papua New Guinea: Evidence From the Integrated Health and Demographic Surveillance System
Background: Child mortality is an important indication of an effective public health system. Data sources available for the estimation of child mortality in Papua New Guinea (PNG) are limited. Objective: The objective of this study was to provide child mortality estimates at the sub-national level in PNG using new data from the integrated Health and […]
In urban South Africa, 16 year old adolescents experience greater health equality than children
Despite the strongly established link between socio-economic status (SES) and health across most stages of the life-course, the evidence for a socio-economic gradient in adolescent health outcomes is less consistent. This paper examines associations between household, school, and neighbourhood SES measures with body composition outcomes in 16 year old South African Black urban adolescents from […]
Wealth-related inequalities in the coverage of reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health interventions in 36 countries in the African region
Objective To investigate whether sub-Saharan African countries have succeeded in reducing wealth-related inequalities in the coverage of reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health interventions. Methods We analysed survey data from 36 countries, grouped into Central, East, Southern and West Africa subregions, in which at least two surveys had been conducted since 1995. We calculated the […]
Maternal HIV Infection as a Risk Factor for Primary Epstein-Barr Virus Infection in Kenyan Infants
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is known to be associated with EBV shedding in saliva suggesting an increased risk of EBV transmission to infants born to mothers with HIV at an earlier age. In this study we investigated (i) whether maternal HIV status was a risk factor for EBV in blood at delivery or for […]
A systematic review of individual and contextual factors affecting ART initiation, adherence, and retention for HIV-infected pregnant and postpartum women
Background: Despite progress reducing maternal mortality, HIV-related maternal deaths remain high, accounting, for example, for up to 24 percent of all pregnancy-related deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is effective in improving outcomes among HIV-infected pregnant and postpartum women, yet rates of initiation, adherence, and retention remain low. This systematic literature review synthesized evidence […]
