Parity, dental caries and implications for maternal depletion syndrome in northern Nigerian Hausa women
Background Female reproductive history, especially high parity, affects general health and may impact negatively on oral health. While parity has been positively linked to tooth loss, the specific association between parity and caries has not been adequately investigated. Aim To determine the association between parity and caries in a population of higher parity women. Influences […]
Comprehensive Knowledge of HIV among Women in Rural Mozambique: Development and Validation of the HIV Knowledge 27 Scale
Background: The relationship between HIV knowledge and HIV-related behaviors in settings like Mozambique has been limited by a lack of rigorously validated measures. Methods: A convenience sample of women seeking prenatal care at two clinics were administered an adapted, orally-administered, 27 item HIV-knowledge scale, the HK-27. Validation analyses were stratified by survey language (Portuguese and […]
Effects of implementing a postabortion care strategy in Kinshasa referral hospitals, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Objectives: To evaluate the effects of the implementation of a postabortion care (PAC) strategy in Kinshasa referral hospitals, this study analyzed the quality of postabortion care services, including postabortion contraception, and the duration of hospitalization. Methodology: We estimated the effects of the PAC strategy using a quasi-experimental study by evaluating the outcomes of 334 patients […]
Validation of the CIMI-ethiopia program and seasonal variation in maternal nutrient intake in enset (False banana) growing areas of Southern Ethiopia
Background: Tools for the rapid and accurate analysis of nutrient intakes from diets of individuals in Southern Ethiopia are lacking. The Calculator of Inadequate Micronutrient Intake program for Ethiopia (CIMI-Ethiopia) has been developed to overcome this problem. CIMI-Ethiopia also computes protein and energy intakes from the diet. The objectives of the current study were to […]
The burden of mental disorders, substance use disorders and self-harm among young people in Europe, 1990–2019: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
Background: Mental health is a public health issue for European young people, with great heterogeneity in resource allocation. Representative population-based studies are needed. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2019 provides internationally comparable information on trends in the health status of populations and changes in the leading causes of disease burden over time. Methods: […]
Is the routine health information system ready to support the planned national health insurance scheme in South Africa?
Implementation of a National Health Insurance (NHI) in South Africa requires a reliable, standardized health information system that supports Diagnosis-Related Groupers for reimbursements and resource management. We assessed the quality of inpatient health records, the availability of standard discharge summaries and coded clinical data and the congruence between inpatient health records and discharge summaries in […]
Improving the effectiveness of point of care tests for malaria and anaemia: A qualitative study across three Ghanaian antenatal clinics
Background: Anaemia and malaria are both major contributors to maternal and child mortality, and morbidity, with some of the worst outcomes occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. Point of care tests (POCT), if used appropriately, provide a simple, inexpensive form of diagnostic testing, as a reliable alternative when laboratory tests are not readily available. In such resource […]
Linkage to care, mobility and retention of HIV-positive postpartum women in antiretroviral therapy services in South Africa
Introduction: Linkage to care and mobility postpartum present challenges to long-term retention after initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) in pregnancy, but there are few insights from sub-Saharan Africa. We aimed to describe postpartum linkage to care, mobility, retention and viral suppression after ART initiation in pregnancy. Methods: Using routine electronic data we assessed HIV-specific health contacts […]
Effectiveness of pregnant women’s active participation in their antenatal care for the control of malaria and anaemia in pregnancy in Ghana: A cluster randomized controlled trial ISRTCTN88917252 ISRTCTN
Background: The burden of malaria and anaemia in pregnancy remains high despite the availability of proven efficacious antenatal care interventions. Sub-optimal uptake of the interventions may be due to inadequate active participation of pregnant women in their antenatal care. It was hypothesized that providing opportunities for pregnant women to improve upon active participation in their […]
How do diverse low-income and middle-income countries implement primary healthcare team integration to support the delivery of comprehensive primary health care? A mixed-methods study protocol from India, Mexico and Uganda
Introduction Attainment of universal health coverage is feasible via strengthened primary health systems that are comprehensive, accessible, people-centred, continuous and coordinated. Having an adequately trained, motivated and equipped primary healthcare workforce is central to the provision of comprehensive primary healthcare (CPHC). This study aims to understand PHC team integration, composition and organisation in the delivery […]
