Effect of anti-malarial interventions on trends of malaria cases, hospital admissions and deaths, 2005-2015, Ghana

Background: Since 2005, the Government of Ghana and its partners, in concerted efforts to control malaria, scaled up the use of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) and insecticide-treated nets (ITNs). Beginning in 2011, a mass campaign of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) was implemented, targeting all the population. The impact of these interventions on malaria cases, admissions […]

Supportive supervision for volunteers to deliver reproductive health education: a cluster randomized trial

Background: Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) can be effective in improving pregnancy and newborn outcomes through community education. Inadequate supervision of CHVs, whether due to poor planning, irregular visits, or ineffective supervisory methods, is, however, recognized as a weakness in many programs. There has been little research on best practice supervisory or accompaniment models. Methods: From […]

Effect of a community-based approach of iron and folic acid supplementation on compliance by pregnant women in Kiambu County, Kenya: A quasi-experimental study

Introduction Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (IFAS) is an essential and affordable intervention strategy for prevention of anaemia during pregnancy. The supplements are currently provided for free to pregnant women in Kenya during antenatal care (ANC), but compliance remains low over the years. There is need for diversification of IFAS programme implementation by exploring other […]

Population impact and effectiveness of sequential 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate and monovalent rotavirus vaccine introduction on infant mortality: prospective birth cohort studies from Malawi

Background Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) and rotavirus vaccine (RV) are key tools for reducing common causes of infant mortality. However, measurement of population-level mortality impact is lacking from sub-Saharan Africa. We evaluated mortality impact and vaccine effectiveness (VE) of PCV13 introduced in November 2011, with subsequent RV1 roll-out in October 2012, in Malawi. Methods We […]

Family medicine training in sub-Saharan Africa: South-South cooperation in the Primafamed project as strategy for development

Background. Health-care systems based on primary health care (PHC) are more equitable and cost effective. Family medicine trains medical doctors in comprehensive PHC with knowledge and skills that are needed to increase quality of care. Family medicine is a relatively new specialty in sub-Saharan Africa. Objective. To explore the extent to which the Primafamed South-South […]

Urban–rural differences in the relationship between stunting, preschool attendance, home learning support, and school readiness: A study in Côte d’Ivoire

Background: Stunted physical growth during early childhood is a marker of chronic undernutrition, and the adverse life circumstances that underlie it. These have the potential to disrupt normal brain development and the acquisition of foundational cognitive, language, social and motor skills. Stunting is prevalent in most low-and middle-income countries. Because the prevention of stunting requires […]

Understanding barriers to men’s support for family planning in rural Ethiopia—findings from the USAID Transform: Primary Health Care Project Gender Analysis

Background: Evidence suggests that supportive male engagement in health care services, including family planning, remains low in many countries, despite known benefits for female partners. In 2017–2018, the United States Agency for International Development Transform: Primary Health Care Project conducted a participatory gender analysis, collecting relevant data to better understand Ethiopian men’s lack of support […]

Preference of homebirth and associated factors among pregnant women in Arba Minch health and demographic surveillance site, Southern Ethiopia

Background Home birth preference is the need of pregnant women to give birth at their home with the help of traditional (unskilled) birth attendants. Homebirth with unskilled birth attendants during childbirth is the main leading indicator for maternal and newborn death. In Ethiopia, numbers of women prefer homebirth which is assisted by unskilled personal. However, […]

Predictors of Stunting and Underweight Among Children Aged 6 to 59 months in Bussi Islands, Wakiso District, Uganda: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Child undernutrition is a major public health concern in Uganda that can lead to increased risks of death with its prevalence higher in rural hard-to-reach areas than in urban areas. While it is assumed that the prevalence will be more concerning in islands with restricted accessibility to healthcare resources, limited research has been conducted […]