Addressing Intimate Partner Violence and Power in Intimate Relationships in HIV Testing Services in Nairobi, Kenya
Intimate partner violence (IPV) undermines women’s uptake of HIV services and violates their human rights. In a two-arm randomized controlled trial we evaluated a short intervention that went a step beyond IPV screening to discuss violence and power with women receiving HIV testing services during antenatal care (ANC). The intervention included training and support for […]
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 […]
Eating and feeding behaviours in children in low-income areas in Nairobi, Kenya
Child eating and caregiver feeding behaviours are critical determinants of food intake, but they are poorly characterized in undernourished children. We aimed to describe how appetite, food refusal and force-feeding vary between undernourished and healthy children aged 6–24 months in Nairobi and identify potential variables for use in a child eating behaviour scale for international […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
A comparative analysis of socioeconomic inequities in stunting: A case of three middle-income African countries
Background: Despite increased economic growth and development, and existence of various policies and interventions aimed at improving food security and nutrition, majority of countries in sub-Saharan Africa have very high levels of child malnutrition. The prevalence of stunting, an indicator of chronic malnutrition, is especially high. Methods: In this paper, we use Demographic and Health […]
Investment case for primary health care in low- and middle-income countries: A case study of Kenya
Background Primary healthcare (PHC) systems attain improved health outcomes and fairness and are affordable. However, the proportion of PHC spending to Total Current Health Expenditure in Kenya reduced from 63.4% in 2016/17 to 53.9% in 2020/21 while external funding reduced from 28.3% (Ksh 69.4 billion) to 23.9% (Ksh 68.2 billion) over the same period. This […]
Cultural and contextual adaptation of mental health measures in Kenya: An adolescentcentered transcultural adaptation of measures study
Introduction There is paucity of culturally adapted tools for assessing depression and anxiety in children and adolescents in low-and middle-income countries. This hinders early detection, provision of appropriate and culturally acceptable interventions. In a partnership with the University of Nairobi, Nairobi County, Kenyatta National Hospital, and UNICEF, a rapid cultural adaptation of three adolescent mental […]
Predictors of Neonatal Tetanus Mortality in Katsina State, Northwestern Nigeria
Background: The mortality rate of neonatal tetanus (NNT) remains high in Nigeria. The study was guided by Mosley and Chen’s model for the elements of child survival in developing countries. The goal of the study was to assess the associations between selected NNT risk factors, number of maternal tetanus toxoid injections, frequency of antenatal visits, […]
