Household wealth and maternal health: evidence from Ghana
Purpose: In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) revised upwards the recommended contacts for antenatal care (ANC) by expectant mothers with a health provider from a minimum of four to eight over the pregnancy period. Although Ghana is yet to adopt the new recommendation, some women choose to adhere to the new protocol because of […]
Household Socioeconomic Status and Antenatal Care Utilization Among Women in the Reproductive-Age
The study examined the effect of household socioeconomic status and other socio-demographic characteristics on antenatal care (ANC) utilization among 819 women within the reproductive ages across eight rural communities in Delta State, Southern part of Nigeria. Characteristics of the women were described using simple proportion and frequency. The chi-square test was used to examine factors […]
Early childhood caries: Are maternal psychosocial factors, decision-making ability, and caries status risk indicators for children in a sub-urban Nigerian population?
Objective: Early childhood caries (ECC) is caries in children below the age of 72 months. The aim of the study was to determine the association of maternal psychosocial factors (general anxiety, dental anxiety, sense of coherence, parenting stress, fatalism, social support, depressive symptoms, and executive dysfunction), decision-making abilities, education, income and caries status with the prevalence […]
Remoteness and maternal and child health service utilization in rural Liberia: A population-based survey
Background This study seeks to understand distance from health facilities as a barrier to maternal and child health service uptake within a rural Liberian population. Better understanding the relationship between distance from health facilities and rural health care utilization is important for post-Ebola health systems reconstruction and for general rural health system planning in sub-Saharan […]
The global maternal sepsis study and awareness campaign (GLOSS): Study protocol
Background: Maternal sepsis is the underlying cause of 11% of all maternal deaths and a significant contributor to many deaths attributed to other underlying conditions. The effective prevention, early identification and adequate management of maternal and neonatal infections and sepsis can contribute to reducing the burden of infection as an underlying and contributing cause of […]
Women empowerment in Namibia: Measurement, determinants and geographical disparities
There is growing recognition that removal of gender inequality and women empowerment are central to realizing development goals. Attainment of gender equality would further promote economic growth, reduce poverty, improve maternal and child health in related sustainable development goals. The Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data provide an opportunity to study women empowerment in Namibia, […]
Person-centred care for abortion services in private facilities to improve women’s experiences in Kenya
Globally, access to good quality abortion services and post-abortion care is a critical determinant for women’s survival after unsafe abortion. Unsafe abortions account for high levels of maternal death in Kenya. We explored women’s experiences and perceptions of their abortion and post-abortion care experiences in Kenya through person-centred care. This qualitative study included focus group […]
What are the barriers to antenatal care utilization in Rufisque District, Senegal?: A bottleneck analysis
Background: This study aimed to analyze the barriers affecting the utilization of antenatal care (ANC) among Senegalese mothers. Methods: Health facility staffs were surveyed to examine the availability coverage of ANC (infrastructural capacity of health posts to handle maternal and newborn healthcare). A total of 113 women of childbearing age were surveyed to identify factors […]
eRegistries: Governance for electronic maternal and child health registries
Background: The limited availability of maternal and child health data has limited progress in reducing mortality and morbidity among pregnant women and children. Global health agencies, leaders, and funders are prioritizing strategies that focus on acquiring high quality health data. Electronic maternal and child health registries (eRegistries) offer a systematic data collection and management approach […]
Barriers to healthcare access and healthcare seeking for childhood illnesses among childbearing women in sub-Saharan Africa: A multilevel modelling of Demographic and Health Surveys
Introduction The success of current policies and interventions on providing effective access to treatment for childhood illnesses hinges on families’ decisions relating to healthcare access. In sub- Saharan Africa (SSA), there is an uneven distribution of child healthcare services. We investigated the role played by barriers to healthcare accessibility in healthcare seeking for childhood illnesses […]
