The Mentor-Mothers program in the Nigeria Department of Defense: policies, processes, and implementation
Background: Nigeria has the second largest HIV epidemic in the world and is one of the countries with the highest rates of new pediatric infections in sub-Saharan Africa. The country faces several challenges in the provision of healthcare services and coverage of Prevention of Mother to child transmission of HIV. In the Nigeria’s Department of […]
Determinants of institutional delivery in Sub-Saharan Africa: findings from Demographic and Health Survey (2013–2017) from nine countries
Introduction: Institutional delivery is a major concern for a country’s long-term growth. Rapid population development, analphabetism, big families, and a wider range of urban-rural health facilities have had a negative impact on institutional services in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries. The aim of this study was to look into the factors that influence women’s decision to […]
Utilizing passive sensing data to provide personalized psychological care in low-resource settings
Background: With the growing ubiquity of smartphones and wearable devices, there is an increased potential of collecting passive sensing data in mobile health. Passive data such as physical activity, Global Positioning System (GPS), interpersonal proximity, and audio recordings can provide valuable insight into the lives of individuals. In mental health, these insights can illuminate behavioral […]
Impact of a two-way short message service (SMS) to support maternally administered childhood mid-upper arm circumference monitoring and expand malnutrition screening in Kenya: The Mama Aweza trial protocol
Introduction Over 52 million children under 5 years of age become wasted each year, but only 17% of these children receive treatment. Novel methods to identify and deliver treatment to malnourished children are necessary to achieve the sustainable development goals target for child health. Mobile health (mHealth) programmes may provide an opportunity to rapidly identify […]
Impact of mobile phone delivered reminders and unconditional incentives on measles-containing vaccine timeliness and coverage: A randomised controlled trial in western Kenya
Introduction Short message service (SMS) reminders coupled with a small monetary incentive conditioned on prompt vaccination have been shown to improve first-dose measles-containing vaccine (MCV1) uptake. We assessed whether SMS reminders and unconditional monetary incentives – more amenable to programmatic implementation – can improve MCV1 uptake in Kenya. Methods Caregivers of eligible infants aged 6-8 […]
Scaling up context-tailored clinical guidelines and training to improve childbirth care in urban, low-resource maternity units in Tanzania: A protocol for a stepped-wedged cluster randomized trial with embedded qualitative and economic analyses (The PartoMa Scale-Up Study)
While facility births are increasing in many low-resource settings, quality of care often does not follow suit; maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity remain unacceptably high. Therefore, realistic, context-tailored clinical support is crucially needed to assist birth attendants in resource-constrained realities to provide best possible evidence-based and respectful care. Our pilot study in Zanzibar suggested […]
Cluster-Randomized Controlled Study of SMS Text Messages for Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV in Rural Kenya
Background. Antiretroviral medications are key for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV, and transmission mitigation is affected by service delivery, adherence, and retention. Methods. We conducted a cluster-randomized controlled study in 26 facilities in Nyanza, Kenya, to determine the efficacy of SMS text messages on PMTCT outcomes. The relative risk and confidence intervals were […]
Knowledge about child birth and postpartum obstetric danger signs and associated factors among mothers in Dale district, Southern Ethiopia
Background: Globally, every day, approximately 800 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. The majority of these deaths occur after childbirth (post-partum period) mostly within 24 h. Raising awareness of women on obstetric danger sign of childbirth and postpartum, are crucial for safe motherhood initiative and to reduce maternal mortality. Methods: A […]
Helminths are positively associated with atopy and wheeze in Ugandan fishing communities: results from a cross-sectional survey
Background: Parasitic helminths are potent immunomodulators and chronic infections may protect against allergy-related disease and atopy. We conducted a cross-sectional survey to test the hypothesis that in heavily helminth-exposed fishing villages on Lake Victoria, Uganda, helminth infections would be inversely associated with allergy-related conditions. Methods: A household survey was conducted as baseline to an anthelminthic […]
Examining person-centered maternity care in a peri-urban setting in Embakasi, Nairobi, Kenya
Introduction Peri-urban settings have high maternal mortality and the quality of care received in different types of health facilities is varied. Yet few studies have explored the construct of person-centered maternity care (PCMC) within peri-urban settings. Understanding women’s experience of maternity care in peri-urban settings will allow health facility managers and policy makers to improve […]
