Synthesizing qualitative and quantitative evidence on non-financial access barriers: Implications for assessment at the district level
Introduction: A key element of the global drive to universal health coverage is ensuring access to needed health services for everyone, and to pursue this goal in an equitable way. This requires concerted efforts to reduce disparities in access through understanding and acting on barriers facing communities with the lowest utilisation levels. Financial barriers dominate […]
Case review of perinatal deaths at hospitals in Kigali, Rwanda: Perinatal audit with application of a three-delays analysis
Background: Perinatal audit and the three-delays model are increasingly being employed to analyse barriers to perinatal health, at both community and facility level. Using these approaches, our aim was to assess factors that could contribute to perinatal mortality and potentially avoidable deaths at Rwandan hospitals. Methods: Perinatal audits were carried out at two main urban […]
Prevalence and associated factors of adolescent pregnancy (15–19 years) in East Africa: a multilevel analysis
Background: Adolescent pregnancy is a major public health problem both in developed and developing countries with huge consequences to maternal health and pregnancy outcomes. However, there is limited evidence on the prevalence and associated factors of adolescent pregnancy in East Africa. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of adolescent pregnancy […]
Regular antenatal care visits were associated with low risk of low birth weight among newborns in Rwanda: Evidence from the 2014/2015 Rwanda Demographic Health Survey (RDHS) Data
Background: Low birth weight (LBW) remains the global unfinished agenda in most countries of the world especially in low- and middle-income countries. LBW subsequently has harmful effects on the lifestyle, psychosocial and physiological development of the child. Although it is known that antenatal care (ANC) visits are important interventions contributing to prediction of newborn birth […]
Childhood undernutrition in three disadvantaged East African Districts: A multinomial analysis
Background: Undernutrition is an important public health indicator for monitoring nutritional status and survival. In spite of its importance, undernutrition is a significant problem health problem in many East African communities. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with childhood undernutrition in three disadvantaged East African Districts. Methods: We examined data for […]
A mixed-methods study of factors influencing access to and use of micronutrient powders in Rwanda
The World Health Organization recommends point-of-use fortification with multiple micronutrients powder (MNP) for foods consumed by children aged 6–23 months in populations where anemia prevalence among children under 2 years or under 5 years of age is 20% or higher. In Rwanda, anemia affects 37% of children under 5 years. The MNP program was implemented […]
Child stunting and associated risk factors in selected food-insecure areas in Rwanda: an analytical cross-sectional study
Introduction: stunting rates among the under-five children are generally high in Rwanda. They are unexpectedly lower than the national average stunting rate in some districts where poverty rates are the highest in the country. This study aimed to ascertain the key factors that protect children from stunting in these poorest areas, where stunting rates are […]
Individual and contextual factors associated with low childhood immunisation coverage in Sub-Saharan Africa: A multilevel analysis
Background: In 2010, more than six million children in sub-Saharan Africa did not receive the full series of three doses of the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine by one year of age. An evidence-based approach to addressing this burden of un-immunised children requires accurate knowledge of the underlying factors. We therefore developed and tested a model of childhood […]
Travel time and perinatal mortality after emergency caesarean sections: An evaluation of the 2-hour proximity indicator in Sierra Leone
Introduction Longer travel times are associated with increased adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. Geospatial modelling has been increasingly used to estimate geographic proximity in emergency obstetric care. In this study, we aimed to assess the correlation between modelled and patient-reported travel times and to evaluate its clinical relevance. Methods Women who delivered by caesarean section […]
Protocol for a sequential, prospective metaanalysis to describe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the pregnancy and postpartum periods
We urgently need answers to basic epidemiological questions regarding SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant and postpartum women and its effect on their newborns. While many national registries, health facilities, and research groups are collecting relevant data, we need a collaborative and methodologically rigorous approach to better combine these data and address knowledge gaps, especially those related […]
