Effectiveness of targeted antenatal family planning information provision on early postpartum family planning uptake in Kisumu County: Protocol for a simple randomized control trial (I DECIDE Study)
Overlooking the contraceptive needs of postpartum women constitutes missed opportunities in health system. Inter-birth interval of at least three years can prevent poor maternal, perinatal and neonatal outcomes and afford women socio-economic benefits of family planning (FP). The unmet need for FP in the postpartum period remains unacceptably high and far exceeds the FP unmet […]
Cognitive variations following exposure to childhood adversity: Evidence from a pre-registered, longitudinal study
Background: Different methodological approaches to studying the effects and timing of childhood adversity have been proposed and tested. While childhood adversity has primarily been operationalized through specificity (effects of individual adversity types) and cumulative risk (sum of all adversities reported by an individual) models, dimensional models (probeable through latent class and other cluster analyses) have […]
Global, regional, and national estimates of levels of preterm birth in 2014: a systematic review and modelling analysis
Background: Preterm birth is the leading cause of death in children younger than 5 years worldwide. Although preterm survival rates have increased in high-income countries, preterm newborns still die because of a lack of adequate newborn care in many low-income and middle-income countries. We estimated global, regional, and national rates of preterm birth in 2014, […]
Accuracy of patient perceptions of maternity facility quality and the choice of providers in Nairobi, Kenya: A cohort study
Objectives This study aimed to assess the accuracy of pregnant women’s perceptions of maternity facility quality and the association between perception accuracy and the quality of facility chosen for delivery. Design A cohort study. Setting Nairobi, Kenya. Participants 180 women, surveyed during pregnancy and 2 to 4 weeks after delivery. Primary outcome measures Women were […]
Prevalence and determinants of gestational diabetes mellitus in Africa based on the updated international diagnostic criteria: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a major public health problem and threat to maternal and child health in Africa. No prior review has been conducted in Africa using the updated GDM diagnostic criteria. Therefore, this review aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence and determinants of GDM in Africa by using current international diagnostic criteria. […]
A risk scoring tool for predicting Kenyan women at high risk of contraceptive discontinuation
Objective: We developed and validated a pragmatic risk assessment tool for identifying contraceptive discontinuation among Kenyan women who do not desire pregnancy. Study design: Within a prospective cohort of contraceptive users, participants were randomly allocated to derivation (n = 558) and validation (n = 186) cohorts. Risk scores were developed by selecting the Cox proportional […]
Effect of early and current Helicobacter pylori infection on the risk of anaemia in 6.5-year-old Ethiopian children
Background: Epidemiological and clinical studies in high income countries have suggested that Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) may cause anaemia, but evidence is lacking from low income countries. We examined associations between H. pylori infection in early childhood and anaemia at the age of 6.5 years in an Ethiopian birth cohort. Methods: In 2011/12, 856 children […]
Knowledge, attitude, and practice of preconception care and associated factors among obstetric care providers working in public health facilities of West Shoa Zone, Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study
Preconception care is biomedical, social, and behavioural care provided for a woman or couple before conception occurs or throughout their reproductive year. In Ethiopia, it’s reported that the majority of health care providers had poor knowledge and practice of preconception care. The institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 359 obstetric care providers to assess knowledge, […]
Community food beliefs during pregnancy in rural kebeles of Ofla Woreda, Northern Ethiopia: an explorative qualitative study
Background: Dietary related misconceptions during pregnancy affect the heath of mothers and their growing babies. Misconceptions vary from place to place and from community to community. Understanding of a given community’s food perceptions during pregnancy helps policy makers able to design cultural appropriate interventions. In Ethiopia, however, evidences on food beliefs and perceptions during pregnancy […]
Assessment of quality of primary care with facility surveys: a descriptive analysis in ten low-income and middle-income countries
Background: Primary care has the potential to address a large proportion of people’s health needs, promote equity, and contain costs, but only if it provides high-quality health services that people want to use. 40 years after the Declaration of Alma-Ata, little is known about the quality of primary care in low-income and middle-income countries. We […]
