Thresholds of socio-economic and environmental conditions necessary to escape from childhood malnutrition: A natural experiment in rural Gambia
Background: Childhood malnutrition remains highly prevalent in low-income countries, and a 40% reduction in under-5 year stunting is WHO’s top Global Target 2025. Disappointingly, meta-analyses of intensive nutrition interventions reveal that they generally have low efficacy at improving growth. Unhygienic environments also contribute to growth failure, but large WASH Benefits and SHINE trials of improved […]
“From experts to locals hands” healthcare service planning in sub-Saharan Africa: an insight from the integrated community case management of Ghana
Background: Although community participation remains an essential component globally in healthcare service planning, evidence of how rural communities participate in the planning of rural-based healthcare programs has less been explored in Sub-Saharan Africa. Objective: We explored communities’ participation in health care planning in hard-to-reach communities, within the context of Integrated Community Case Management (iCCM), a […]
Help-seeking intention and associated factors towards mental illness among residents of Mertule Mariam town, East Gojam Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia: A mixed-method study
Background: About 76% and 85% of people in low and middle-income countries with severe mental illness did not get management because of fear of expected discrimination. Studying the intention to seek help for mental illness will, therefore, help to know their intended plan for help that would have a vital role to access patients with […]
Individual and Contextual Factors Associated With Malaria Among Children 6–59 Months in Burkina Faso
Objective: This study aims to understand the individual and contextual factors associated with malaria among children aged 6–59 months in Burkina Faso. Methods: This cross-sectional study used secondary data extracted from the Burkina Faso Malaria Indicator Survey 2017–2018. Descriptive analysis was used to analyse socio-demographic characteristics. We performed a multilevel logistic regression model to highlight individual […]
Scaled-up nutrition education on pulse-cereal complementary food practice in Ethiopia: A cluster-randomized trial
Background: Improving children’s weight status through nutrition education (NE) for mothers about using pulses in complementary feeding has been demonstrated in pilot studies, but no effect on stunting was reported. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of a 9-month pulse-nutrition education program on improving mothers’ knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) towards […]
The introduction of new policies and strategies to reduce inequities and improve child health in Kenya: A country case study on progress in child survival, 2000-2013
As of 2015, only 12 countries in the World Health Organization’s AFRO region had met Millennium Development Goal #4 (MDG#4) to reduce under-five mortality by two-thirds by 2015. Given the variability across the African region, a four-country study was undertaken to examine barriers and facilitators of child survival prior to 2015. Kenya was one of […]
An Exploration of the Unintended Consequences of Performance-Based Financing in 6 Primary Healthcare Facilities in Burkina Faso
Background: Performance-based financing (PBF) is promoted to improve the quality and quantity of healthcare services in low-income countries. Despite the complexity of the intervention, little attention has been given to studying its unintended consequences. Our objective is to increase evidence on the unintended consequences of PBF in Burkina Faso. Methods: Using the diffusion of innovations […]
Trends in antenatal care visits and associated factors in Ghana from 2006 to 2018
Introduction: Given that maternal mortality is a major global health concern, multiple measures including antenatal care visits have been promoted by the global community. However, most pregnant women in Ghana and other sub-Saharan African countries do not attain the recommended timelines, in addition to a slower progress towards meeting the required minimum of eight visits […]
Characteristics, treatment outcomes and experiences of COVID-19 patients under home-based care in Kapelebyong district in Uganda: a mixed-methods study
Background: A rapid increase in community transmission of COVID-19 across the country overwhelmed Uganda’s health care system. In response, the Ministry of Health adopted the home-based care strategy for COVID-19 patients with mild-to-moderate disease. We determined the characteristics, treatment outcomes and experiences of COVID-19 patients under home-based care during the second wave in Kapelebyong district, […]
Prevalence and factors associated with the awareness of obstetric fistula among women of reproductive age in The Gambia: a multilevel fixed effects analysis
Background: An obstetric fistula is an inappropriate connection between the vagina, rectum, or bladder that results in faecal or urine incontinence. Young women from rural areas with poor socioeconomic situations and education are the majority of victims, which restricts their access to high-quality healthcare. Obstetric fistulas can have devastating effects on the physical health of […]
