Operationalising kangaroo Mother care before stabilisation amongst low birth Weight Neonates in Africa (OMWaNA): Protocol for a randomised controlled trial to examine mortality impact in Uganda
Background: There are 2.5 million neonatal deaths each year; the majority occur within 48 h of birth, before stabilisation. Evidence from 11 trials shows that kangaroo mother care (KMC) significantly reduces mortality in stabilised neonates; however, data on its effect among neonates before stabilisation are lacking. The OMWaNA trial aims to determine the effect of […]
Primary health care in rural Malawi – A qualitative assessment exploring the relevance of the community-directed interventions approach
Background: Primary Health Care (PHC) is a strategy endorsed for attaining equitable access to basic health care including treatment and prevention of endemic diseases. Thirty four years later, its implementation remains sub-optimal in most Sub-Saharan African countries that access to health interventions is still a major challenge for a large proportion of the rural population. […]
Functionality and acceptability of a wireless fetal heart rate monitoring device in term pregnant women in rural Southwestern Uganda
Background: Over 3 million stillbirths occur annually in sub Saharan Africa; most occur intrapartum and are largely preventable. The standard of care for fetal heart rate (FHR) assessment in most sub-Saharan African settings is a Pinard Stethoscope, limiting observation to one person, at one point in time. We aimed to test the functionality and acceptability […]
Employed mothers’ breastfeeding: Exploring breastfeeding experience of employed mothers in different work environments in Ethiopia
Background One of the most cost-effective interventions to enhance child health with the potential to reach families of all economic backgrounds is breastfeeding. Despite the many benefits optimal breastfeeding has, its practice is low due to various barriers among which maternal employment is mentioned repeatedly. Accordingly, this study has explored the experience of employed mothers […]
Risk factors for obstructed labour in Eastern Uganda: A case control study
Introduction Obstructed labour (OL) is an important clinical and public health problem because of the associated maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Risk factors for OL and its associated obstetric squeal are usually context specific. No epidemiological study has documented the risk factors for OL in Eastern Uganda. This study was conducted to identify the […]
COVID-19 may exacerbate the clinical, structural and psychological barriers to retention in care among women living with HIV in rural and peri-urban settings in Uganda
Background: Retention of pregnant and breastfeeding women and their infants in HIV care still remains low in Uganda. Recent literature has shown that the effects of COVID-19 mitigation measures may increase disease burden of common illnesses including HIV, Tuberculosis, Malaria and other key public health outcomes such as maternal mortality. A research program was undertaken […]
Predictors of breastfeeding self-efficacy among women attending an urban postnatal clinic, Uganda
Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the factors associated with breastfeeding self-efficacy among postnatal women in Kampala, Uganda. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study that was conducted among women attending a postnatal clinic at a teaching hospital in Kampala. Three hundred and eighty-four postnatal women were randomly selected to respond to […]
Food sharing is linked to urinary oxytocin levels and bonding in related and unrelated wild chimpanzees
Humans excel in cooperative exchanges between unrelated individuals. Although this trait is fundamental to the success of our species, its evolution and mechanisms are poorly understood. Other social mammals also build long-term cooperative relationships between non-kin, and recent evidence shows that oxytocin, a hormone involved in parent-offspring bonding, is likely to facilitate non-kin as well […]
Viewpoints of pregnant mothers and community health workers on antenatal care in Lweza village, Uganda
Background Uganda is a low-income country with high fertility, adolescent birth, and maternal mortality rates. How Ugandan Ministry of Health antenatal education guidelines have been implemented into standardized health education and how pregnant women utilize health facilities remains unclear. Objective We aimed to determine how women obtain education during pregnancy, what guidelines health educators follow, […]
Helminths are positively associated with atopy and wheeze in Ugandan fishing communities: results from a cross-sectional survey
Background: Parasitic helminths are potent immunomodulators and chronic infections may protect against allergy-related disease and atopy. We conducted a cross-sectional survey to test the hypothesis that in heavily helminth-exposed fishing villages on Lake Victoria, Uganda, helminth infections would be inversely associated with allergy-related conditions. Methods: A household survey was conducted as baseline to an anthelminthic […]
