Rural-urban variation in hypertension among women in Ghana: insights from a national survey

Background: Hypertension is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular morbidities in Ghana and represents a major public health concern. There is dearth of information on the rural-urban disparity in hypertension among women in Ghana. Therefore, this study aimed at examining the rural-urban variation in hypertension among women in Ghana. Methods: We extracted data from […]

Maternal participant experience in a South African birth cohort study enrolling healthy pregnant women and their infants

Background: Critical to conducting high quality research is the ability to attract and retain participants, especially for longitudinal studies. Understanding participant experiences and motivators or barriers to participating in clinical research is crucial. There are limited data on healthy participant experiences in longitudinal research, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This study aims to investigate […]

Predictors of singleton preterm birth using multinomial regression models accounting for missing data: A birth registry-based cohort study in northern Tanzania

Background Preterm birth is a significant contributor of under-five and newborn deaths globally. Recent estimates indicated that, Tanzania ranks the tenth country with the highest preterm birth rates in the world, and shares 2.2% of the global proportion of all preterm births. Previous studies applied binary regression models to determine predictors of preterm birth by […]

Utilization of preconception care and associated factors among reproductive age group women in Debre Birhan town, North Shewa, Ethiopia

Background: Preconception care refers to things women can do before and between pregnancies to increase the chance of having a healthy baby and being a healthy mother. Unfortunately, millions of women in the world do not have access to pre-pregnancy, pregnancy health services and childbirth with suitable quality. Therefore, addressing this significant gap and coming […]

A multilevel analysis of individual and contextual factors associated with the practice of safe disposal of children’s faeces in sub-Saharan Africa

Background Over the years, sanitation programs over the world have focused more on household sanitation, with limited attention towards the disposal of children’s stools. This lack of attention could be due to the misconception that children’s stools are harmless. The current study examined the individual and contextual predictors of safe disposal of children’s faeces among […]

Dual profile of environmental enrichment and autistic-like behaviors in the maternal separated model in rats

Background: Environmental Enrichment (EE) has been suggested as a possible therapeutic intervention for neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism. Although the benefits of this therapeutic method have been reported in some animal models and human studies, the unknown pathophysiology of autism as well as number of conflicting results, urge for further examination of the therapeutic potential […]

Evaluation of a custom-developed computer game to improve executive functioning in 4- To 6-year-old children exposed to alcohol in utero: Protocol for a feasibility randomized controlled trial

Background: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is one of the most common causes of preventable intellectual disability, and the key associated deficits are in executive function (EF). Aspects of EF can be improved using cognitive training interventions. The highest prevalence of FASD globally (at a rate of 135.1 per 1000) has been found in a […]

Understanding variations in health insurance coverage in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania: Evidence from demographic and health surveys

Background Realisation of universal health coverage is not possible without health financing systems that ensure financial risk protection. To ensure this, some African countries have instituted health insurance schemes as venues for ensuring universal access to health care for their populace. In this paper, we examined variations in health insurance coverage in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, […]

HIV is still a major public health problem among pregnant women attending ANC in Referral Hospitals of the Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia: a cross sectional study

Background: The burden of HIV is disproportionately higher among women of reproductive age contributing more than half of the global share. The situation in Ethiopia is not exceptional. The present study was done to determine the proportion of HIV among pregnant women in Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia. Method: Institutions-based cross-sectional study was conducted from October […]

The prevalence of under nutrition and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care service in public hospitals of western Ethiopia

Background Pregnancy is a time when the body is under a lot of stress, which increases your dietary needs. Under nutrition is a worldwide health issue, especially among pregnant women. Malnutrition during pregnancy can result in miscarriages, fetal deaths during pregnancy, preterm delivery, and maternal mortality for both the mother and her fetus. Therefore, this […]