How do community health committees contribute to capacity building for maternal and child health? A realist evaluation protocol
Introduction: The proposed research is part of ongoing operations research within World Vision’s Access: Infant and Maternal Health Programme. This study aims to identify key context features and underlying mechanisms through which community health committees build community capacity within the field of maternal and child health. This may help to improve programme implementation by providing […]
“Generally the young mom suffers much:” Socio-cultural influences of maternal capabilities and nutrition care in Uganda
Abstract: We conducted 40 in-depth interviews and eight focus groups among mothers and fathers (n = 91) of diverse ages in western Uganda to define the relevant domains of maternal capabilities and their relationship to infant and young child feeding practices. This study was directed by a developing theory of maternal capabilities that posits that the impact […]
Trends in inequality in maternal and child health and health care in Uganda: Analysis of the Uganda demographic and health surveys
Background: Uganda has made great strides in improving maternal and child health. However, little is known about how this improvement has been distributed across different socioeconomic categories, and how the health inequalities have changed over time. This study analyses data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted in 2006, 2011, and 2016 in Uganda, to […]
A hospital-based birth defects surveillance system in Kampala, Uganda
Background: In 2010, the World Health Assembly passed a resolution calling upon countries to prevent birth defects where possible. Though birth defects surveillance programs are an important source of information to guide implementation and evaluation of preventive interventions, many countries that shoulder the largest burden of birth defects do not have surveillance programs. This paper […]
Effect of pregnancy versus postpartum maternal isoniazid preventive therapy on infant growth in HIV-exposed uninfected infants: a post-hoc analysis of the TB APPRISE trial
Background: Isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) initiation during pregnancy was associated with increased incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes in the TB APPRISE trial. Effects of in utero IPT exposure on infant growth are unknown. Methods: This post-hoc analysis used data from the TB APPRISE trial, a multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, which randomised women to 28-week IPT […]
Can the timed and targeted counseling model improve the quality of maternal and newborn health care? A process analysis in the rural hoima district in Uganda
Each year, more than half a million women die worldwide from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, and nearly 4 million newborns die within 28 days of birth. In Uganda, 15 women die every single day from pregnancy and childbirth-related causes, 94 babies are stillborn, and 81 newborn babies die. Cost-effective solutions for the continuum […]
Predictors of health care practitioners’ normative attitudes and practices towards sexual and reproductive health and rights: a cross-sectional study of participants from low-income countries enrolled in a capacity-building program
Background: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) is a concept of human rights applied to sexuality and reproduction. Suboptimal access to SRHR services in many low-income countries results in poor health outcomes. Sustainable development goals (3.7 and 5.6) give a new impetus to the aspiration of universal access to high-quality SRHR services. Indispensable stakeholders […]
Antiretroviral Therapy Helps HIV-Positive Women Navigate Social Expectations for and Clinical Recommendations against Childbearing in Uganda
Understanding factors that influence pregnancy decision-making and experiences among HIV-positive women is important for developing integrated reproductive health and HIV services. Few studies have examined HIV-positive women’s navigation through the social and clinical factors that shape experiences of pregnancy in the context of access to antiretroviral therapy (ART). We conducted 25 semistructured interviews with HIV-positive, […]
When women deliver at home without a skilled birth attendant: A qualitative study on the role of health care systems in the increasing home births among rural women in southwestern uganda
Background: Uganda’s maternal mortality remains unacceptably high, with thousands of women and newborns still dying of preventable deaths from pregnancy and childbirth-related complica-tions. Globally, Antenatal care (ANC) attendance has been associated with improved rates of skilled births. However, despite the fact that over 95% of women in Uganda attend at least one ANC, over 30% […]
Loss to follow-up and associated maternal factors among HIV-exposed infants at the Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, Uganda: A retrospective study
Background: Loss to follow-up (LTFU) deprives HIV-exposed infants the lifesaving care required and results in exposing HIV free infants to virus requisition risk. We aimed to determine the rate of LTFU, postnatal mother-to-child HIV-transmission (MTCT) and to identify maternal factors associated with LTFU among HIV-exposed infants enrolled at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital PMTCT clinic. Methods: […]
