Negotiating social norms, the legacy of vertical health initiatives and contradicting health policies: a qualitative study of health professionals’ perceptions and attitudes of providing adolescent sexual and reproductive health care in Arusha and Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania
Background: Adolescents in Tanzania are at risk of many health problems attributed to limited access to quality sexual and reproductive health services. Health professionals are a crucial part of service delivery, and their perspective on providing care is important in understanding the barriers that hamper access to sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents. Better […]
Maternal participant experience in a South African birth cohort study enrolling healthy pregnant women and their infants
Background: Critical to conducting high quality research is the ability to attract and retain participants, especially for longitudinal studies. Understanding participant experiences and motivators or barriers to participating in clinical research is crucial. There are limited data on healthy participant experiences in longitudinal research, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This study aims to investigate […]
Factors associated with comorbidity of diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections among children under five years in Ghana
Introduction Globally, childhood mortality is an important public health concern. In Ghana, both diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are among the top five causes of morbidity and mortality among children under five years old (CU5). Yet, there is a paucity of studies on the comorbidity of diarrhoea and ARIs in CU5 in Ghana. Aim […]
Building forward better—An exploration of nutrition practices, food choice, and coping behaviors among Kenyan adolescents during COVID-19: Experiences and program implications
This implementation research study sought to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent nutrition practices and related behaviors in Nairobi and Uasin Gishu Counties, Kenya. Eight focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with adolescents 10–19 years of age, in-depth interviews with 10 health facility providers, and a combination of FGDs (n-4) and key […]
Prevalence and correlates of anemia among children aged 6-23 months in Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia
Background Anemia, the world’s most common micro-nutrient deficiency disorder, can affect a person at any time and at all stages of life. Though all members of the community may face the problem, children aged 6-23 months are particularly at higher risk. If left untreated, it adversely affects the health, cognitive development, school achievement, and work […]
Trust of community health workers influences the acceptance of community-based maternal and child health services
Background: Community health workers (CHWs) are a component of the health system in many countries, providing effective community-based services to mothers and infants. However, implementation of CHW programmes at scale has been challenging in many settings. Aim: To explore the acceptability of CHWs conducting household visits to mothers and infants during pregnancy and after delivery, […]
Psychosocial factors of stigma and relationship to healthcare services among adolescents living with HIV/AIDS in Kano state, Nigeria
Background: Stigma associated with HIV shapes all aspect of prevention and treatment, yet there are limited data on how HIV-infected adolescents are affected by stigma. Stigma increases risk of psychological problems among HIV-infected individuals which can affect access to treatment and social support services. This study aimed at identifying psychosocial factors of stigma and relationship […]
Effects of a temporary suspension of community-based health insurance in Kwara State, North-Central, Nigeria
Introduction: a subsidized community health insurance programme in Kwara State, Nigeria was temporarily suspended in 2016 in anticipation of the roll-out of a state-wide health insurance scheme. This article reports the adverse consequences of the scheme´s suspension on enrollees´ healthcare utilization. Methods: a mixed-methods study was carried out in Kwara State, Nigeria, in 2018 using […]
The imperative for systems thinking to promote access to medicines, efficient delivery, and cost-effectiveness when implementing health financing reforms: a qualitative study
Background: Health systems across Africa are faced with a multitude of competing priorities amidst pressing resource constraints. Expansion of health insurance coverage offers promise in the quest for sustainable healthcare financing for many of the health systems in the region. However, the broader policy implications of expanding health insurance coverage have not been fully investigated […]
Maternal cortisol and stress are associated with birth outcomes, but are not affected by lipid-based nutrient supplements during pregnancy: An analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial in rural Malawi
Background: Prenatal micronutrient supplements have been found to increase birth weight, but mechanisms for increased growth are poorly understood. Our hypotheses were that 1) women who receive lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS) during pregnancy would have lower mean salivary cortisol concentration at 28 wk and 36 wk gestation compared to the multiple micronutrient (MMN) and iron-folic […]
