Family planning use and fertility desires among women living with HIV in Kenya Global health
Background: Enabling women living with HIV to effectively plan whether and when to become pregnant is an essential right; effective prevention of unintended pregnancies is also critical to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality as well as vertical transmission of HIV. The objective of this study is to examine the use of family planning (FP) services […]
Cost of malaria treatment and health seeking behaviour of children under-five years in the Upper West Region of Ghana
Background There is limited knowledge on cost of treating malaria in children under-five years in northern Ghana which poses a challenge in determining whether interventions such as the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) have reduced the economic burden of malaria to households or not. This study examined the […]
Risk factors for vaginal fistula symptoms in Sub-Saharan Africa: A pooled analysis of national household survey data
Background: Vaginal fistula (VF) is one of the most severe maternal morbidities with the immediate consequence of chronic urinary and/or fecal incontinence. The epidemiological evidence regarding risk factors for VF is dominated by facility-based studies. Our aim is to estimate the effect size of selected risk factors for VF using population-based survey data. Methods: We […]
Barriers and enablers to emergency obstetric and newborn care services use in Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia: a qualitative case study
Background: Globally, 11.4 million untreated obstetric complications did not receive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) services yearly, with the highest burden in low and middle-income countries. Half of the Ethiopian women with obstetric complications did not receive EmONC services. However, essential aspects of the problem have not been assessed in depth. This study, therefore, […]
Universal versus conditional three-day follow up visit for children with uncomplicated fever at the community level: Design of a cluster-randomized, community-based, non-inferiority trial in Tanganyika, Democratic Republic of Congo
Background: The current recommendation within integrated Community Case Management guidelines that all children presenting with uncomplicated fever and no danger signs be followed up after three days may not be necessary. Such fevers often resolve rapidly (usually within 48-96 h), and previous studies suggest that expectant home care for uncomplicated fever can be safely recommended. […]
Effect of a quality improvement package for intrapartum and immediate newborn care on fresh stillbirth and neonatal mortality among preterm and low-birthweight babies in Kenya and Uganda: a cluster-randomised facility-based trial
Background: Although gains in newborn survival have been achieved in many low-income and middle-income countries, reductions in stillbirth and neonatal mortality have been slow. Prematurity complications are a major driver of stillbirth and neonatal mortality. We aimed to assess the effect of a quality improvement package for intrapartum and immediate newborn care on stillbirth and […]
Independent and joint contribution of inappropriate complementary feeding and poor water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices to stunted child growth
The causes of undernutrition are often linked to inappropriate complementary feeding practices and poor households’ access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), but limited evidence exists on the combined effect of poor WASH and inappropriate complementary feeding practices on stunted child growth. We assessed the independent and joint contribution of inappropriate complementary feeding and poor […]
Micronutrient intake inadequacy and its associated factors among lactating women in Bahir Dar city, Northwest Ethiopia, 2021
Background Inadequate intake of micronutrients in lactating women was prevalent worldwide. In particular, to our knowledge, there has been little report concerning Ethiopian lactating women regarding their micronutrient intake. Our objective was to assess micronutrient intake inadequacy and its associated factors among lactating women in Bahir Dar city, Northwest Ethiopia, 2021. Methods Community-based cross-sectional study […]
‘They care rudely!’: Resourcing and relational health system factors that influence retention in care for people living with HIV in Zambia
Introduction Despite access to free antiretroviral therapy (ART), many HIV-positive Zambians disengage from HIV care. We sought to understand how Zambian health system ‘hardware’ (tangible components) and ‘software’ (work practices and behaviour) influenced decisions to disengage from care among ‘lost-to-follow-up’ patients traced by a larger study on their current health status. Methods We purposively selected […]
Exploring the socio-economic determinants of educational inequalities in diarrhoea among under-five children in low- and middle-income countries: a Fairlie decomposition analysis
Background: What explains the underlying causes of educational inequalities in diarrhoea among under-five children in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) is poorly exploited, operationalized, studied and understood. This paper aims to assess the magnitude of educational-related inequalities in the development of diarrhoea and decompose risk factors that contribute to these inequalities among under-five children (U5C) […]
