Exploring the why: risk factors for HIV and barriers to sexual and reproductive health service access among adolescents in Nigeria
Background: Early sexual debut, low educational attainment, history of rape and transactional and intergenerational sex have been associated with HIV infection among Nigerian adolescents, especially females. We sought to understand the “why”, and how to mitigate against these determinants and barriers to addressing adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and HIV prevention needs. Methods: This […]
Assessing early access to care and child survival during a health system strengthening intervention in Mali: A repeated cross sectional survey
Background: In 2012, 6.6 million children under age five died worldwide, most from diseases with known means of prevention and treatment. A delivery gap persists between well-validated methods for child survival and equitable, timely access to those methods. We measured early child health care access, morbidity, and mortality over the course of a health system […]
The quality of service provision to newborns in the primary healthcare, West Gojjam zone, North-West of Ethiopia: a cross-sectional survey
Background: During 2019, neonatal conditions in Ethiopia accounted for 55% of under-5 deaths, with 33 neonatal deaths occurring for every 1000 live births. More than 80% of all newborns deaths are caused by preventable and treatable conditions with available interventions. In Ethiopia, mortality rates for newborn babies have remained stubbornly high over the decades. Objective: […]
A descriptive longitudinal study protocol: Recurrence and pregnancy post-repair of obstetric fistula in Guinea
Background: Obstetric fistula is a serious medical condition which affects women in low income countries. Despite the progress of research on fistula, there is little data on long term follow-up after surgical repair. The objective of this study is to analyse the factors associated with the recurrence of fistula and the outcomes of pregnancy following […]
Non-Pneumatic Anti-Shock Garment (NASG), a First-Aid Device to Decrease Maternal Mortality from Obstetric Hemorrhage: A Cluster Randomized Trial
Background:Obstetric hemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal mortality. Using a cluster randomized design, we investigated whether application of the Non-pneumatic Anti-Shock Garment (NASG) before transport to referral hospitals (RHs) from primary health care centers (PHCs) decreased adverse outcomes among women with hypovolemic shock. We hypothesized the NASG group would have a 50% reduction in […]
Prospective multicentre study of host response signatures in neonatal sepsis in Sub Saharan Africa
Few biomarkers for sepsis diagnosis are commonly used in neonatal sepsis. While the role of host response is increasingly recognized in sepsis pathogenesis and prognosis, there is a need for evaluating new biomarkers targeting host response in regions where sepsis burden is high and medico-economic resources are scarce. The objective of the study is to […]
Levels and determinants of DDT and DDE exposure in the VHEMBE cohort
BACKGROUND: Although indoor residual spraying (IRS) is an effective tool for malaria control, its use contributes to high insecticide exposure in sprayed communities and raises concerns about possible unintended health effects. OBJECTIVE: The Venda Health Examination of Mothers, Babies and their Environment (VHEMBE) is a birth cohort study initiated in 2012 to characterize prenatal exposure […]
Food beliefs and practices among the Kalenjin pregnant women in rural Uasin Gishu County, Kenya
Background: Understanding food beliefs and practices is critical to the development of dietary recommendations, nutritional programmes, and educational messages. This study aimed to understand the pregnancy food beliefs and practices and the underlying reasons for these among the contemporary rural Kalenjin communities of Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. Methods: Through semi-structured interviews, data was collected from […]
The association of malaria morbidity with linear growth, hemoglobin, iron status, and development in young Malawian children: A prospective cohort study
Background: Although poor complementary feeding is associated with poor child growth, nutrition interventions only have modest impact on child growth, due to high burden of infections. We aimed to assess the association of malaria with linear growth, hemoglobin, iron status, and development in children aged 6-18 months in a setting of high malaria and undernutrition […]
Predicted effect of regionalised delivery care on neonatal mortality, utilisation, financial risk, and patient utility in Malawi: an agent-based modelling analysis
Background: Health-care regionalisation, in which selected services are concentrated in higher-level facilities, has successfully improved the quality of complex medical care. However, the effectiveness of this strategy in routine maternal care is unknown. Malawi has established a national goal of halving its neonatal mortality by 2030. In this study, we aimed to assess the effect […]
