Collecting maternal health information from HIV-positive pregnant women using mobile phone-assisted face-to-face interviews in Southern Africa
Background: Most of the world’s women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reside in sub-Saharan Africa. Although efforts to reduce mother-to-child transmission are underway, obtaining complete and accurate data from rural clinical sites to track progress presents a major challenge. Objective: To describe the acceptability and feasibility of mobile phones as a tool for clinic-based […]
Safe abortion service utilization and associated factors among insecurely housed women who experienced abortion in southwest Ethiopia, 2021: A communitybased cross-sectional study
Background Insecurely housed women are more vulnerable to physical and mental health issues than the general population, making access to a safe abortion more difficult. Though Ethiopia has a penal code regarding safe abortion care, there has been a dearth of studies investigating the safe abortion care practice among those insecurely housed women. Thus, this […]
CHAT SA: Modification of a Public Engagement Tool for Priority Setting for a South African Rural Context
Background: Globally, as countries move towards universal health coverage (UHC), public participation in decision-making is particularly valuable to inform difficult decisions about priority setting and resource allocation. In South Africa (SA), which is moving towards UHC, public participation in decision-making is entrenched in policy documents yet practical applications are lacking. Engagement methods that are deliberative […]
Menstrual hygiene management practices and associated health outcomes among school-going adolescents in rural Gambia
Inadequate menstrual hygiene management (MHM) practices have been associated with adverse health outcomes. This study aimed to describe MHM practices among schoolgirls from rural Gambia and assess risk factors associated with urogenital infections and depressive symptoms. A cross-sectional study was conducted among adolescent schoolgirls in thirteen schools in rural Gambia. A questionnaire was used to […]
Multilevel analysis of factors associated with utilization of institutional delivery in Ethiopia
Background: The maternal mortality rate in poor nations remains unacceptably high. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with institutional delivery usage. Methods: The data came from the Ethiopian mini demographic and health survey, which was conducted in 2019. This study comprised 3978 women of reproductive age who had given birth within […]
Household food insecurity and its association with nutritional status of under five children in Sekela District, Western Ethiopia: A comparative cross-sectional study
Background: Food insecurity influences children nutritional status by limiting the quantity and quality of dietary intake. Studies conducted across different parts of the world revealed controversial evidences about the relationship between household food insecurity and child nutritional status. Although child malnutrition and food insecurity are the main problems in Ethiopia, to what extent food insecurity […]
Medicinal plants used among pregnant women in a tertiary teaching hospital in Jimma, Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study
Objective The aim of this study was to investigate and describe the use of medicinal plants during pregnancy among women admitted in the Maternity and Gynaecology wards at Jimma University Medical Centre (JUMC) in the southwest Ethiopia. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Maternity and Gynaecology wards at JUMC. Participants 1117 hospitalised pregnant women or postpartum women. […]
Association between breast milk intake at 9–10 months of age and growth and development among Malawian young children
World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for infants for the first 6 months of life, followed by introduction of nutritious complementary foods alongside breastfeeding. Breast milk remains a significant source of nourishment in the second half of infancy and beyond; however, it is not clear whether more breast milk is always better. The present study was […]
Measuring progress from 1990 to 2017 and projecting attainment to 2030 of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals for 195 countries and territories: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017
Background: Efforts to establish the 2015 baseline and monitor early implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlight both great potential for and threats to improving health by 2030. To fully deliver on the SDG aim of “leaving no one behind”, it is increasingly important to examine the health-related SDGs beyond national-level estimates. As […]
Passive sensing on mobile devices to improve mental health services with adolescent and young mothers in low-resource settings: the role of families in feasibility and acceptability
Background: Passive sensor data from mobile devices can shed light on daily activities, social behavior, and maternal-child interactions to improve maternal and child health services including mental healthcare. We assessed feasibility and acceptability of the Sensing Technologies for Maternal Depression Treatment in Low Resource Settings (StandStrong) platform. The StandStrong passive data collection platform was piloted with […]
