Assessment of equity in healthcare financing in Fiji and Timor-Leste: A study protocol
Introduction: Equitable health financing remains a key health policy objective worldwide. In low and middle-income countries (LMICs), there is evidence that many people are unable to access the health services they need due to financial and other barriers. There are growing calls for fairer health financing systems that will protect people from catastrophic and impoverishing […]
The effect of weekly interactive text-messaging on early infant HIV testing in Kenya: a randomised controlled trial (WelTel PMTCT)
Mother-to-child transmission of HIV remains a significant concern in Africa despite earlier progress. Early infant diagnosis (EID) of HIV is crucial to reduce mortality among infected infants through early treatment initiation. However, a large proportion of HIV-exposed infants are still not tested in Kenya. Our objective was to investigate whether weekly interactive text-messages improved prevention […]
Essential health services delivery in South Africa during COVID-19: Community and healthcare worker perspectives
Background: Between May 2020 and February 2022, South Africa’s health system bore strain as it battled mitigating the coronavirus pandemic. The country’s pandemic response was scrutinized. This period also brought into focus pre-existing shortcomings in the healthcare system and its governing bodies. Contextually, there is a paucity in literature on the experiences of healthcare providers […]
Geographic access to care is not a determinant of child mortality in a rural Kenyan setting with high health facility density
Background. Policy-makers evaluating country progress towards the Millennium Development Goals also examine trends in health inequities. Distance to health facilities is a known determinant of health care utilization and may drive inequalities in health outcomes; we aimed to investigate its effects on childhood mortality. Methods. The Epidemiological and Demographic Surveillance System in Kilifi District, Kenya, […]
Signal functions for measuring the ability of health facilities to provide abortion services: An illustrative analysis using a health facility census in Zambia
Background: Annually, around 44 million abortions are induced worldwide. Safe termination of pregnancy (TOP) services can reduce maternal mortality, but induced abortion is illegal or severely restricted in many countries. All abortions, particularly unsafe induced abortions, may require post-abortion care (PAC) services to treat complications and prevent future unwanted pregnancy. We used a signal-function approach […]
Assessing trends in the content of maternal and child care following a health system strengthening initiative in rural Madagascar: A longitudinal cohort study
Background: In order to reach the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, gains attained in access to primary healthcare must be matched by gains in the quality of services delivered. Despite the broad consensus around the need to address quality, studies on the impact of health system strengthening (HSS) have focused predominantly on measures […]
Dietary diversity and its determinants among children aged 6-23 months in Ethiopia: evidence from the 2016 Demographic and Health Survey
Dietary diversity in children may be influenced not only by individual circumstances but also by the features of the community in which they live. Our study aimed to assess community and individual-level determinants of minimum dietary diversity among children aged 6-23 months in Ethiopia. We included 2960 children aged 6-23 months from the recent Ethiopia […]
Tracking coverage, dropout and multidimensional equity gaps in immunisation systems in West Africa, 2000-2017
Background Several West African countries are unlikely to achieve the recommended Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) immunisation coverage and dropout targets in a landscape beset with entrenched intra-country equity gaps in immunisation. Our aim was to assess and compare the immunisation coverage, dropout and equity gaps across 15 West African countries between 2000 and 2017. […]
Suboptimal feeding practices and impaired growth among children in largely food insecure areas of north Wollo, Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, information is limited about energy and micronutrient intakes from complementary foods consumed by children in Productive Safety Net Program districts. Therefore, we assessed feeding practices and intakes of energy and selected micronutrients from complementary foods of children aged 6-23 months in a food insecure rural area of Ethiopia. Energy and micronutrient intakes were […]
Postpartum weight change in relation to pre‐pregnancy weight and gestational weight gain in women in low‐income setting: Data from the kite cohort in the northern part of Ethiopia
(1) Background: Postpartum weight may increase compared to pre‐pregnancy due to weight retention or decrease due to weight loss. Both changes could pose deleterious effects on maternal health and subsequent pregnancy outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to assess postpartum weight change and its associated factors. (2) Methods: A total of 585 women from the KIlte‐Awlaelo […]
