Human-centered design exploration with Kenyan health workers on proposed digital mental health screening and intervention training development: Thematic analysis of user preferences and needs
Background: Health providers’ perceived sense of knowledge, competency, and self-efficacy to support the needs of their patients contributes to optimal patient health outcomes. With regards to mental health service delivery in Kenya, this area needs further exploration. Guided by the e-health technology acceptance mode, the needs and preferences of health care providers around mental health […]
Application of geographically weighted regression analysis to assess predictors of short birth interval hot spots in Ethiopia
Background Birth interval duration is an important and modifiable risk factor for adverse child and maternal health outcomes. Understanding the spatial distribution of short birth interval, an interbirth interval of less than 33 months, and its predictors are vital to prioritize and facilitate targeted interventions. However, the spatial variation of short birth interval and its […]
Adapting and testing a brief intervention to reduce maternal anxiety during pregnancy (ACORN): report of a feasibility randomized controlled trial
Background: We investigated the acceptability and feasibility of a new brief intervention for maternal prenatal anxiety within maternity services in London and Exeter, UK. Methods: One hundred fourteen pregnant individuals attending their 12-week scan at a prenatal clinic with elevated symptoms of anxiety (GAD-7 score of ≥7) were randomly assigned to either the ACORN intervention […]
Antenatal depressive symptoms and utilisation of delivery and postnatal care: A prospective study in rural Ethiopia
Background: Uptake of delivery and postnatal care remains low in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), where 99% of global maternal deaths take place. However, the potential impact of antenatal depression on use of institutional delivery and postnatal care has seldom been examined. This study aimed to examine whether antenatal depressive symptoms are associated with use […]
The effects of midwives’ job satisfaction on burnout, intention to quit and turnover: a longitudinal study in Senegal
Background: Despite working in a challenging environment plagued by persistent personnel shortages, public sector midwives in Senegal play a key role in tackling maternal mortality. A better understanding of how they are experiencing their work and how it is affecting them is needed in order to better address their needs and incite them to remain […]
Screening and supporting through schools: Educational experiences and needs of adolescents living with HIV in a South African cohort
Background: Many adolescents living with HIV remain disconnected from care, especially in high-prevalence settings. Slow progressors-adolescents infected perinatally who survive without access to lifesaving treatment-remain unidentified and disconnected from heath systems, especially in high-prevalence settings. This study examines differences in educational outcomes for ALHIV, in order to i) identify educational markers for targeting HIV testing, […]
Between life and death: Exploring the sociocultural context of antenatal mental distress in rural Ethiopia
The high prevalence of antenatal common mental disorders in sub-Saharan Africa compared to high-income countries is poorly understood. This qualitative study explored the sociocultural context of antenatal mental distress in a rural Ethiopian community. Five focus group discussions and 25 in-depth interviews were conducted with purposively sampled community stakeholders. Inductive analysis was used to develop […]
The economic toll of COVID-19: A cohort study of prevalence and economic factors associated with postpartum depression in Kenya
Objective: The aim of the study is to examine the risk of postpartum depression (PPD) among women who delivered during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to women who delivered before the COVID-19 pandemic and how economic challenges are associated with PPD. Methods: Data were collected from 2332 women. This includes 1197 women from healthcare facilities in […]
Testing strategies for couple engagement in prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and family health in Kenya: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Background: HIV-related maternal deaths and HIV infection among infants remain unacceptably high across sub-Saharan Africa despite increased antenatal care attendance and provision of antiretroviral therapy to pregnant women. In the Jamii Bora (“Better Family” in Swahili) Study, we seek to test the efficacy of an interdependence theory-based couple intervention. The intervention reaches pregnant women and […]
Improving maternal, newborn and women’s reproductive health in crisis settings
This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: To identify, synthesise and evaluate the effects of health system and other interventions aimed at improving maternal, newborn and women’s reproductive health in crisis settings. We will include: We will only include cluster RCTs, non-randomised cluster trials, and […]
