Predictors of differences in health services utilization for children in Nigerian communities
Health service utilization is an important component of child health promotion. Evidence shows that two-thirds of child deaths in low and middle income countries could be prevented if current interventions were adequately utilized. Aim of this study was to identify determinants of variation in health services utilization for children in communities in Nigeria. Multivariable negative […]
Effects of continuity of maternal health services on immediate newborn care practices, Northwestern Ethiopia: multilevel and propensity score matching (PSM) modeling
Background: Despite priority being given to maternal and child health programs in Ethiopia, the reduction of neonatal mortality rate is stagnant, which is more than double the national target. Immediate newborn care and continuity of maternal health services are comprehensive, wide-ranging, and core strategies to overcome neonatal mortality and morbidity. However, the evidence of immediate […]
Dietary cyanogen exposure and early child neurodevelopment: An observational study from the Democratic Republic of Congo
Background Dietary cyanogen exposure from ingesting bitter (toxic) cassava as a main source of food in sub-Saharan Africa is related to neurological impairments in sub-Saharan Africa. We explored possible association with early child neurodevelopmental outcomes. Methods We undertook a cross-sectional neurodevelopmental assessment of 12–48 month-old children using the Mullen Scale of Early Learning (MSEL) and […]
Developmental performance of hospitalized severely acutely malnourished under-six children in low- income setting
Background: Retrospective studies show that severe acute malnutrition (SAM) affects child development. However, to what extent SAM affects children of different ages at its acute stage is not well documented. This study was aimed at comparing the developmental performance of severely acutely malnourished children under six with that of age and gender-matched non-malnourished healthy children. […]
Provision of essential evidence-based interventions during facility-based childbirth: Cross-sectional observations of births in northeast Nigeria
Objectives To measure the provision of evidence-based preventive and promotive interventions to women, and subsequently their newborns, during childbirth in a high-mortality setting. Design and participants Cross-sectional observations of care provided to women, and their newborns during the intrapartum and immediate postpartum period using a standardised checklist capturing healthcare worker behaviours regarding lifesaving and respectful […]
Factors associated with maternity waiting home use among women in Jimma Zone, Ethiopia: A multilevel cross-sectional analysis
Objective To identify individual-, household- and community-level factors associated with maternity waiting home (MWH) use in Ethiopia. Design Cross-sectional analysis of baseline household survey data from an ongoing cluster-randomised controlled trial using multilevel analyses. Setting Twenty-four rural primary care facility catchment areas in Jimma Zone, Ethiopia. Participants 3784 women who had a pregnancy outcome (live […]
How do community health committees contribute to capacity building for maternal and child health? A realist evaluation protocol
Introduction: The proposed research is part of ongoing operations research within World Vision’s Access: Infant and Maternal Health Programme. This study aims to identify key context features and underlying mechanisms through which community health committees build community capacity within the field of maternal and child health. This may help to improve programme implementation by providing […]
The effect of maternal and child factors on stunting, wasting and underweight among preschool children in Northern Ghana
Background: Undernutrition among preschool children in Northern region is the highest in Ghana. However, there is scarcity of data on the factors that determine undernutrition in these children. This study investigated the effect of maternal and child factors on undernutrition among preschool children in Northern Ghana. Methods: This study was a community based analytical cross-sectional […]
Assessing program coverage of two approaches to distributing a complementary feeding supplement to infants and young children in Ghana
The work reported here assesses the coverage achieved by two sales-based approaches to distributing a complementary food supplement (KOKO Plus™) to infants and young children in Ghana. Delivery Model 1 was conducted in the Northern Region of Ghana and used a mixture of health extension workers (delivering behavior change communications and demand creation activities at […]
Provision of medical supply kits to improve quality of antenatal care in Mozambique: a stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial
Background High levels of maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity remain a daunting reality in many low-income countries. Several interventions delivered during antenatal care have been shown to improve maternal and newborn outcomes, but stockouts of medical supplies at point of care can prevent implementation of these services. We aimed to evaluate whether a supply […]
