Improving the quality of obstetric care for women with obstructed labour in the national referral hospital in Uganda: Lessons learnt from criteria based audit
Background: Obstructed labour remains a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality whose complications can be reduced with improved quality of obstetric care. The objective was to assess whether criteria-based audit improves quality of obstetric care provided to women with obstructed labour in Mulago hospital, Uganda. Methods: Using criteria-based audit, management of obstructed labour was […]
Determinants of stillbirth among deliveries attended in bale zone hospitals, oromia regional state, southeast ethiopia: A case–control study
Background: Stillbirth is one of the adverse outcomes of pregnancy, and it is among the major public health problems in developing countries including Ethiopia. Stillbirth has wide-reaching consequences for parents, care providers, community and society at large. Purpose: To assess the determinant of stillbirth among deliveries attended in Bale zone hospitals Southeast Ethiopia. Methods: An […]
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 […]
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 […]
Coverage-level and predictors of maternity continuum of care in Nigeria: implications for maternal, newborn and child health programming
Background: Completing maternity continuum of care from pregnancy to postpartum is a core strategy to reduce the burden of maternal and neonatal mortality dominant in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Nigeria. Thus, we evaluated the level of completion, dropout and predictors of women uptake of optimal antenatal care (ANC) in pregnancy, continuation to use of skilled birth […]
Evidence of health inequity in child survival: spatial and Bayesian network analyses of stillbirth rates in 194 countries
Estimated at 2.6 million annually, stillbirths worldwide have stayed alarmingly high, in contrast to neonatal and under-five mortality rates. It is a neglected public health challenge globally, with less attention to its social determinants. We examined spatial patterns of country-level stillbirth rates and determined the influence of social determinants of health on spatial patterns of […]
Nutrition during pregnancy and early development (NuPED) in urban South Africa: A study protocol for a prospective cohort
Background: Adequate nutrition during pregnancy is important to ensure optimal birth outcomes, maternal health and offspring development. However, little is known about the dietary intake and nutritional status of pregnant women residing in urban South Africa. Therefore, the Nutrition during Pregnancy and Early Development (NuPED) cohort study was initiated to assess early nutrition-related exposures predictive […]
Significant bacteriuria among asymptomatic antenatal clinic attendees in Ibadan, Nigeria
Untreated asymptomatic bacteriuria can lead to urinary tract infection (UTI) in pregnancy with devastating maternal and neonatal effects such as prematurity and low birth weight, higher fetal mortality rates and significant maternal morbidity. We carried out a two year (April 2007 to March 2009) cross-sectional epidemiological study to determine the prevalence of significant bacteriuria among […]
Health care professionals’ adherence to partograph use in Ethiopia: analysis of 2016 national emergency obstetric and newborn care survey
Background: The period around childbirth and the first 24 hours postpartum remains a perilous time for both mother and newborn. Health care providers’ compliance to the World Health Organization modified partogram across the active first stage of labor is a graphic representation of a mother’s condition that is used as a guide in providing quality […]
Evidence of a double burden of malnutrition in urban poor settings in Nairobi, Kenya
Background: Many low-and middle-income countries are undergoing a nutrition transition associated with rapid social and economic transitions. We explore the coexistence of over and undernutrition at the neighborhood and household level, in an urban poor setting in Nairobi, Kenya. Methods: Data were collected in 2010 on a cohort of children aged under five years born […]
