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 […]
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 […]
Limited handwashing facility and associated factors in sub-Saharan Africa: pooled prevalence and multilevel analysis of 29 sub-Saharan Africa countries from demographic health survey data
Introduction: Handwashing is fundamentally an inexpensive means of reducing the spread of communicable diseases. In developing countries, many people die due to infectious diseases that could be prevented by proper hand hygiene. The recent coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is a threat to people who are living in resource-limited countries including sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Effective hand hygiene […]
Involving traditional birth attendants in emergency obstetric care in Tanzania: Policy implications of a study of their knowledge and practices in Kigoma Rural District
Introduction. Access to quality maternal health services mainly depends on existing policies, regulations, skills, knowledge, perceptions, and economic power and motivation of service givers and target users. Critics question policy recommending involvement of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in emergency obstetric care (EmoC) services in developing countries. Objectives. This paper reports about knowledge and practices of […]
Animal source food social and behavior change communication intervention among girinka livestock transfer beneficiaries in rwanda: A cluster randomized evaluation
Animal source foods (ASFs), including cow’s milk, contain essential nutrients and contribute to a healthy diet, but frequency of intake is low among children in low- and middle-income countries. We hypothesized that an ASF social and behavior change communication (SBCC) intervention implemented by community health workers (CHWs) would increase child milk consumption and dietary diversity […]
Breastfeeding knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy among mothers with infant and young child in rural Ethiopia
Background Breastfeeding has several benefits for both mothers and their children. Despite strong evidence in support of the practice, its prevalence has remained low worldwide, particularly in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study is aimed to assess breastfeeding knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy among mothers with index infants and young children in the rural community of Southwest Ethiopia. […]
Neurodevelopment and cognitive impairment in parents and progeny of perinatal dietary protein deficiency models
There is an absolute dependence of the concept of development on supply of adequately balanced nutrients especially during the perinatal age which is critical to development. Therefore, an upgraded nutrition is specially required during gestation and lactation, as this is the critical period of neurodevelopment. This study sought to investigate the effect of protein deficiency […]
Prescription of antibacterial drugs for HIV-exposed, uninfected infants, Malawi, 2004–2010
Antimicrobial drug resistance is a serious health hazard driven by overuse. Administration of antimicrobial drugs to HIV-exposed, uninfected infants, a population that is growing and at high risk for infection, is poorly studied. We therefore analyzed factors associated with antibacterial drug administration to HIV-exposed, uninfected infants during their first year of life. Our study population […]
