Acceptability of community-based mentor mothers to support HIV-positive pregnant women on antiretroviral treatment in western Kenya: A qualitative study
Background: Option B+ is a comprehensive antiretroviral treatment (ART) designed for HIV-infected pregnant/ postpartum women. However, barriers to implementing Option B+ and establishing long-term ART adherence while facilitating retention in prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services remain. Community-based mentor mothers (cMMs) who can provide home-based support for PMTCT services may address […]
A critical assessment of the WHO responsiveness tool: Lessons from voluntary HIV testing and counselling services in Kenya
Background. Health, fair financing and responsiveness to the user’s needs and expectations are seen as the essential objectives of health systems. Efforts have been made to conceptualise and measure responsiveness as a basis for evaluating the non-health aspects of health systems performance. This study assesses the applicability of the responsiveness tool developed by WHO when […]
Impact of mothers’ schistosomiasis status during gestation on children’s IgG antibody responses to routine vaccines 2 years later and anti-schistosome and anti-malarial responses by neonates in western Kenya
The potential consequences of parasitic infections on a person’s immune responsiveness to unrelated antigens are often conjectured upon in relationship to allergic responses and autoimmune diseases. These considerations sometimes extend to whether parasitic infection of pregnant women can influence the outcomes of responses by their offspring to the immunizations administered during national Expanded Programs of […]
The magnitude of intimate partner violence during pregnancy in Eldoret, Kenya: Exigency for policy action
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is sexual, psychological and physical coercive acts used against persons by intimate partners. When IPV occurs during pregnancy (IPVp), it can result in adverse maternal and pregnancy outcomes. No policy nor practice direction exists to address the rates and risk factors of IPVp in Kenya. Determining the prevalence, types and determinants […]
Association between internal migration and epidemic dynamics: An analysis of cause-specific mortality in Kenya and South Africa using health and demographic surveillance data
Background: Many low- and middle-income countries are facing a double burden of disease with persisting high levels of infectious disease, and an increasing prevalence of non-communicable disease (NCD). Within these settings, complex processes and transitions concerning health and population are underway, altering population dynamics and patterns of disease. Understanding the mechanisms through which changing socioeconomic […]
Community-level effect of the reproductive health vouchers program on out-of-pocket spending on family planning and safe motherhood services in Kenya
Background: Although vouchers can protect individuals in low-income countries from financial catastrophe and impoverishment arising from out-of-pocket expenditures on healthcare, their effectiveness in achieving this goal depends on whether both service and transport costs are subsidized as well as other factors such as service availability in a given locality and community perceptions about the quality […]
Time for change is now: Experiences of participants in a community-based approach for iron and folic acid supplementation in a rural county in Kenya, a qualitative study
Background Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (IFAS) is recommended by World Health Organization as part of antenatal care to prevent anaemia in pregnancy. In 2010, Kenya adopted this recommendation and the current policy is to provide one combined IFAS tablet for daily use throughout pregnancy, free of charge, in all public health facilities. However, adherence […]
Where is information quality lost at clinical level? A mixed-method study on information systems and data quality in three urban Kenyan ANC clinics
Background: Well-working health information systems are considered vital with the quality of health data ranked of highest importance for decision making at patient care and policy levels. In particular, health facilities play an important role, since they are not only the entry point for the national health information system but also use health data (and […]
Sustainability of market-based community distribution of Sprinkles in Western Kenya
To evaluate the sustainability of market-based community distribution of micronutrient powders (Sprinkles®, Hexagon Nutrition, Mumbai, India.) among pre-school children in Kenya, we conducted in August 2010 a follow-up survey, 18 months after study-related marketing and household monitoring ended. We surveyed 849 children aged 6-35 months randomly selected from 60 study villages. Nutritional biomarkers were measured […]
Person-centred maternity care in low-income and middle-income countries: analysis of data from Kenya, Ghana, and India
Background: Several qualitative studies have described disrespectful, abusive, and neglectful treatment of women during facility-based childbirth, but few studies document the extent of person-centred maternity care (PCMC)—ie, responsive and respectful maternity care—in low-income and middle-income countries. In this Article, we present descriptive statistics on PCMC in four settings across three low-income and middle-income countries, and […]
