“our girls need to see a path to the future” – Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health information among adolescent girls, guardians, and initiation counselors in Mulanje district, Malawi
Background: Malawi has one of the highest adolescent pregnancy rates worldwide; at 141 births/1000 girls it is 3-fold higher than the global average. Adolescent pregnancy contributes to poor maternal and neonatal outcomes, school dropout, and poverty. In preparation for an information, education, and communication (IEC) intervention to reduce unintended pregnancy among adolescent girls, formative research […]
Effectiveness of a training intervention in increasing the use of misoprostol in postabortion care in Malawi: A quasi-experimental study
Objectives The study was conducted to determine effectiveness of a training intervention in increasing use of misoprostol in management of incomplete abortions. Design A quasi-experimental study with training intervention on use of misoprostol in treatment of incomplete abortion. Setting Five secondary-level public hospitals in Malawi, one in urban and four in semiurban settings. Three intervention […]
From kitchen to classroom: Assessing the impact of cleaner burning biomass-fuelled cookstoves on primary school attendance in Karonga district, northern Malawi
Household air pollution from burning solid fuels is responsible for an estimated 2.9 million premature deaths worldwide each year and 4.5% of global disability-adjusted life years, while cooking and fuel collection pose a considerable time burden, particularly for women and children. Cleaner burning biomass-fuelled cookstoves have the potential to lower exposure to household air pollution […]
Associations between individual variations in visual attention at 9 months and behavioral competencies at 18 months in rural Malawi
Theoretical and empirical considerations suggest that individual differences in infant visual attention correlate with variations in cognitive skills later in childhood. Here we tested this hypothesis in infants from rural Malawi (n = 198–377, depending on analysis), who were assessed with eye tracking tests of visual orienting, anticipatory looks, and attention to faces at 9 […]
Randomized controlled pilot of a group antenatal care model and the sociodemographic factors associated with pregnancy-related empowerment in sub-Saharan Africa
Background: The links between empowerment and a number of health-related outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa have been documented, but empowerment related to pregnancy is under-investigated. Antenatal care (ANC) is the entry point into the healthcare system for most women, so it is important to understand how ANC affects aspects of women’s sense of control over their […]
Evaluation of mainstreaming youth-friendly health in private clinics in Malawi
Background: High fertility rates and low modern contraceptive use put African youth and adolescents at high risk for health complications, including maternal mortality. Mainstreaming youth-friendly health services (YFHS) into existing services is one approach to improve access to reproductive health services for youth and adolescents. The objective of the evaluation was to assess the effects […]
Male Involvement in Family Planning Decisions in Malawi and Tanzania: What Are the Determinants?
The participation of males in joint spousal decisions is urgently needed in achieving the fundamental indicators of reproductive health. The low involvement of males in family planning (FP) decision-making is a major determining factor in low FP usage in Malawi and Tanzania. Despite this, there are inconsistent findings regarding the extent of male involvement and […]
Expanding access to non-communicable disease care in rural Malawi: Outcomes from a retrospective cohort in an integrated NCD-HIV model
Objectives Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for one-third of disability-adjusted life years in Malawi, and access to care is exceptionally limited. Integrated services with HIV are widely recommended, but few examples exist globally. We report descriptive outcomes from an Integrated Chronic Care Clinic (IC3). Design This is a retrospective cohort study. Setting The study includes an […]
The role of nutrition-sensitive agriculture combined with behavioral interventions in childhood growth in Ethiopia: An adequacy evaluation study
Objective: The study aimed to investigate the role of nutrition-sensitive and specific interventions along with nutrition education on child stunting during the first 1000 days in Ethiopia. Methods: An adequacy evaluation study was used to see changes between the baseline and end-line data after following for 1 year. A sample of 170 mother-child pairs who […]
Estimating the costs of induced abortion in Uganda: A model-based analysis
Background: The demand for induced abortions in Uganda is high despite legal and moral proscriptions. Abortion seekers usually go to illegal, hidden clinics where procedures are performed in unhygienic environments by under-trained practitioners. These abortions, which are usually unsafe, lead to a high rate of severe complications and use of substantial, scarce healthcare resources. This […]
