Clinic and care: associations with adolescent antiretroviral therapy adherence in a prospective cohort in South Africa
Objective: Adolescent antiretroviral treatment (ART) adherence remains critically low. We lack research testing protective factors across both clinic and care environments. Design: A prospective cohort of adolescents living with HIV (sample n = 969, 55% girls, baseline mean age 13.6) in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa were interviewed at baseline and 18-month follow-up (2014-2015, 2015-2016). […]
Improving access to child health services at the community level in Zambia: A country case study on progress in child survival, 2000-2013
Reductions in under-five mortality in Africa have not been sufficient to meet the Millennium Development Goal #4 (MDG#4) of reducing under-five mortality by two-thirds by 2015. Nevertheless, 12 African countries have met MDG#4. We undertook a four country study to examine barriers and facilitators of child survival prior to 2015, seeking to better understand variability […]
Vulnerability and agency across treatment-seeking journeys for acutely ill children: How family members navigate complex healthcare before, during and after hospitalisation in a rural Kenyan setting
Background: Child mortality rates during hospitalisation for acute illness and after discharge are unacceptably high in many under-resourced settings. Childhood vulnerability to recurrent illness, and death, is linked to their families’ situations and ability to make choices and act (their agency). We examined vulnerability and agency across treatment-seeking journeys for acutely ill children and considered […]
Household cooking fuel type and childhood anaemia in sub-Saharan Africa: Analysis of cross-sectional surveys of 123, 186 children from 29 countries
Objective This study sought to investigate the joint effect of household cooking fuel type and urbanicity (rural-urban residency) on anaemia among children under the age of five in sub-Saharan Africa. Design We analysed cross-sectional data of 123, 186 children under the age of five from 29 sub-Saharan African countries gathered between 2010 and 2019 by […]
Two-year morbidity-mortality and alternatives to prolonged breast-feeding among children born to HIV-infected mothers in Côte d’Ivoire
Background: Little is known about the long-term safety of infant feeding interventions aimed at reducing breast milk HIV transmission in Africa. Methods and Findings: In 2001-2005, HIV-infected pregnant women having received in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, a peripartum antiretroviral prophylaxis were presented antenatally with infant feeding interventions: either artificial feeding, or exclusive breast-feeding and then early […]
Assessment of Malawi’s success in child mortality reduction through the lens of the Catalytic Initiative integrated health systems strengthening programme: Retrospective evaluation
Background Malawi is estimated to have achieved its Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 target. This paper explores factors influencing progress in child survival in Malawi including coverage of interventions and the role of key national policies. Methods We performed a retrospective evaluation of the Catalytic Initiative (CI) programme of support (2007-2013). We developed estimates of […]
Predictors of inappropriate complementary feeding practice among children aged 6 to 23 months in Wonago District, South Ethiopia, 2017; Case control study
Background: Inappropriate complementary feeding practice could result in child illness, sub-optimal growth and development. Evidence shows a huge burden of inappropriate complementary feeding practice from global to national level. But studies regarding predictors of inappropriate complementary feeding practices were scarce especially in the study area. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine predictors […]
Nutritional Status of Postpartum Mothers and Associated Risk Factors in Shey-Bench District, Bench-Sheko Zone, Southwest Ethiopia: A Community Based Cross-Sectional Study
Background: Malnutrition affects millions of people in developing countries and contributes to poor health outcomes and nutritional status among women in the postpartum period. Lactation increases high nutritional demands and marks a significant life transition that can impact diet quality and subsequently predispose woman to high risk of overweight and undernutrition. Although, studies have been […]
Development and initial validation of a frontline health worker mHealth assessment platform (MEDSINC®) for children 2-60 months of age
Approximately 3 million children younger than 5 years living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) die each year from treatable clinical conditions such as pneumonia, dehydration secondary to diarrhea, and malaria. A majority of these deaths could be prevented with early clinical assessments and appropriate therapeutic intervention. In this study, we describe the development and […]
A decade of progress providing safe abortion services in Ethiopia: Results of national assessments in 2008 and 2014
Background: Ethiopia has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world (420 per 100,000 live births in 2013), and unsafe abortion continues to be one of the major causes. To reduce deaths and disabilities from unsafe abortion, Ethiopia liberalized its abortion law in 2005 to allow safe abortion under certain conditions. This study […]