Towards universal health coverage in the WHO African Region: Assessing health system functionality, incorporating lessons from COVID-19
The move towards universal health coverage is premised on having well-functioning health systems, which can assure provision of the essential health and related services people need. Efforts to define ways to assess functionality of health systems have however varied, with many not translating into concrete policy action and influence on system development. We present an […]
Neonatal Mortality and Education Related Inequality in Cesarean Births in Sub-Saharan Africa: Multi-Country Propensity Score Matching and Meta-Analysis
Background: Sub-Saharan African (SSA) newborns are ten times more likely to die in the first month than a neonate born in a high-income country. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between educational attainment and neonatal mortality (NM) among women with cesarean section (CS) deliveries in SSA countries. Methods: Using data from […]
Accelerating improvements in nutritional and health status of young children in the Sahel region of Sub-Saharan Africa: Review of international guidelines on infant and young child feeding and nutrition
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child holds governments responsible to ensure children’s right to the highest attainable standard of health by providing breastfeeding support, and access to nutritious foods, appropriate health care, and clean drinking water. International experts have identified key child care practices and programmatic activities that are proven to […]
Adherence to prenatal iron-folic acid supplementation in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC): A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis
Background: Daily iron-folic acid supplementation reduces anemia and various adverse obstetric outcomes such as preterm delivery, low birthweight, hemorrhage, and perinatal and maternal morbidity and mortality. However, its supplementation has not been successful that attributed to several determinants including poor adherence. Therefore, we aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the prevalence and […]
Attendance at antenatal clinics in inner-city Johannesburg, South Africa and its associations with birth outcomes: Analysis of data from birth registers at three facilities
Background: Antenatal care (ANC) clinics serve as key gateways to screening and treatment interventions that improve pregnancy outcomes, and are especially important for HIV-infected women. By disaggregating data on access to ANC, we aimed to identify variation in ANC attendance by level of care and across vulnerable groups in inner-city Johannesburg, and document the impact […]
Role of amygdala kisspeptin in pubertal timing in female rats
To investigate the mechanism by which maternal obesity disrupts reproductive function in offspring, we examined Kiss1 expression in the hypothalamic arcuate (ARC) and anteroventral periventricular (AVPV) nuclei, and posterodorsal medial amygdala (MePD) of pre-pubertal and young adult offspring. Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either a standard or energy-dense diet for six weeks prior to mating and […]
Food Insecurity and Maternal Diet Influence Human Milk Composition between the Infant’s Birth and 6 Months after Birth in Central-Africa
Although the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF recommend that infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life, evidence is scarce on how the mother’s undernourishment status at delivery and maternal dietary factors influence human milk (HM) composition during the first 6 months of life in regions with high food insecurity. […]
Is there a relationship between female genital mutilation/cutting and fistula? A statistical analysis using cross-sectional data from Demographic and Health Surveys in 10 sub-Saharan Africa countries
Objectives: Literature on associations between female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and fistula points to a common belief that FGM/C predisposes women to developing fistula. This study explores this association using nationally representative survey data. Design: A secondary statistical analysis of cross-sectional data from Demographic and Health Surveys was conducted to explore the association between FGM/C and […]
Proactive community case management and child survival: Protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial
Introduction Community health workers (CHWs) – shown to improve access to care and reduce maternal, newborn, and child morbidity and mortality – are re-emerging as a key strategy to achieve health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, recent evaluations of national programmes for CHW-led integrated community case management (iCCM) of common childhood illnesses have not found […]
The Hidden Costs of a Free Caesarean Section Policy in West Africa (Kayes Region, Mali)
The fee exemption policy for EmONC in Mali aims to lower the financial barrier to care. The objective of the study was to evaluate the direct and indirect expenses associated with caesarean interventions performed in EmONC and the factors associated with these expenses. Data sampling followed the case control approach used in the large project […]
