Evaluation of the impact of the voucher and accreditation approach on improving reproductive health behaviors and status in Kenya

Abtsract. Background: Alternatives to the traditional ‘supply-side’ approach to financing service delivery are being explored. These strategies are termed results-based finance, demand-side health financing or output-based aid which includes a range of interventions that channel government or donor subsidies to the user rather than the provider. Initial pilot assessments of reproductive health voucher programs suggest […]

Dietary Practice and Associated Factors Among Pregnant Women at Public Health Institution in Mizan-Aman Town, Southwest Ethiopia

Background: A poor dietary intake of key macronutrients and micronutrients adversely affects pregnancy outcomes and neonatal health. The occurrence of dietary inadequacy during pregnancy is higher compared to any other stage of the life cycle. Therefore, this study aimed to assess dietary practice and associated factors among pregnant women. Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study design […]

Early neonatal mortality in twin pregnancy: Findings from 60 low- and middle-income countries

Background Around the world, the incidence of multiple pregnancies reaches its peak in the Central African countries and often represents an increased risk of death for women and children because of higher rates of obstetrical complications and poor management skills in those countries. We sought to assess the association between twins and early neonatal mortality […]

Do Predictors of Health Facility Delivery Among Reproductive-Age Women Differ by Health Insurance Enrollment? A Multi-Level Analysis of Nigeria’s Data

This study aims to compare determinants of health facility delivery for women under a health insurance scheme and those not under a health insurance scheme. Secondary data drawn from the National Demographic and Health Survey was used for the analysis. The characteristics of the women were presented with simple proportions. Binary multilevel logistic regression was […]

Minimum dietary diversity and associated factors among children under the age of five attending public health facilities in Wolaita Soddo town, Southern Ethiopia, 2021: a cross-sectional study

Background: Poor quality diets are the greatest obstacles to survival, growth, development, and learning in children. Dietary diversity is a major problem in developing countries including Ethiopia. For better feeding practices and focused interventions, it is essential to identify dietary diversity in children. In order to draw firm conclusions, previous studies in Ethiopia were unable […]

Dietary diversity, nutritional status and associated factors among lactating mothers visiting government health facilities at Dessie town, Amhara region, Ethiopia

Background Maternal undernutrition is one of the most common causes of maternal morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Severe undernutrition among mothers leads to reduced lactation performance which further contributes to an increased risk of infant mortality. However, data regarding nutritional status of lactating mothers at Dessie town and its surrounding areas is lacking. This […]

Determinants of delayed or incomplete diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccination in parallel urban and rural birth cohorts of 30,956 infants in Tanzania

Background: Delayed vaccination increases the time infants are at risk for acquiring vaccine-preventable diseases. Factors associated with incomplete vaccination are relatively well characterized in resource-limited settings; however, few studies have assessed immunization timeliness. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study examining Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (DTP) vaccination timing among newborns enrolled in a Neonatal Vitamin A supplementation trial […]

Does early linear growth failure influence later school performance? A cohort study in karonga district, Northern Malawi

Introduction Stunting or linear growth retardation in childhood is associated with delayed cognitive development due to related causes (malnutrition, illness, poor stimulation), which leads to poor school outcomes at later ages, although evidence of the association between the timing and persistence of stunting and school outcomes within the sub-Saharan African context is limited. Methods Anthropometric […]

In Utero ART Exposure and Birth and Early Growth Outcomes among HIV-Exposed Uninfected Infants Attending Immunization Services: Results from National PMTCT Surveillance, South Africa

Background: Despite the recognized benefit of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for preventing and treating HIV, some studies have reported adverse birth outcomes with in utero ART exposure. We evaluated the effect of infant in utero HIV and ART exposure on preterm delivery (PTD), low birth weight (LBW), small for gestational age (SGA), and underweight for age […]

Effects of parenting classes and economic strengthening for caregivers on the cognition of HIV-exposed infants: A pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial in rural Zimbabwe

Introduction HIV-exposed children show signs of developmental delay. We assessed the impact of a pragmatic multicomponent intervention for caregivers of HIV-exposed children aged 0-2 years in Zimbabwe. Methods We conducted a cluster-randomised trial from 2016 to 2018. Clusters were catchments surrounding clinics, allocated (1:1) to either National HIV guidelines standard of care or standard care […]