Continuum of care for maternal health in Uganda: A national cross-sectional study
Introduction A continuum of maternal care approach can reduce gaps and missed opportunities experienced by women and newborns. We determined the level of coverage and factors associated with the continuum of maternal care in Uganda. Methods We used weighted data from the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) 2016. We included 10,152 women aged 15 […]
Maternal education and childbirth care in Uganda
Background Globally, over 500,000 females die of complications related to pregnancy and childbirth each year, and of these, over 99% of deaths occur in developing countries such as Uganda. Utilisation of modern and professional care during delivery is important in lowering maternal mortality. This paper sets out to investigate the factors associated with the utilisation […]
Lived experiences of frontline healthcare providers offering maternal and newborn services amidst the novel corona virus disease 19 pandemic in Uganda: A qualitative study
Background The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many health systems in low resource settings to their knees. The pandemic has had crippling effects on the already strained health systems in provision of maternal and newborn healthcare. With the travel restrictions, social distancing associated with the containment of theCOVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers could be faced with challenges […]
Perceptions of the effects of armed conflict on maternal and reproductive health services and outcomes in Burundi and Northern Uganda: A qualitative study
Background: Armed conflict potentially poses serious challenges to access and quality of maternal and reproductive health (MRH) services, resulting in increased maternal morbidity and mortality. The effects of armed conflict may vary from one setting to another, including the mechanisms/channels through which the conflict may lead to poor access to and quality of health services. […]
Maternal HIV infection and other factors associated with growth outcomes of HIV-uninfected infants in Entebbe, Uganda
Objective To assess the associations between maternal HIV infection and growth outcomes of HIV-exposed but uninfected infants and to identify other predictors for poor growth among this population. Design Within a trial of de-worming during pregnancy, the cohort of offspring was followed from birth. HIV status of the mothers and their children was investigated and […]
Implementation research on sustainable electrification of rural primary care facilities in Ghana and Uganda
Access to energy is essential for resilient health systems; however, strengthening energy infrastructure in rural health facilities remains a challenge. In 2015-19, ‘Powering Healthcare’ deployed solar energy solutions to off-grid rural health facilities in Ghana and Uganda to improve the availability of maternal and child health services. To explore the links between health facility electrification […]
Fertility Responses to Schooling Costs: Evidence from Uganda’s Universal Primary Education Policy
There is some evidence that access to schooling reduces fertility along the intensive margin in developing countries, but the transmission channels are not well understood; most education interventions impact financial costs, access, and school quality. We isolate the specific effect of child school fees on maternal fertility by studying a 1997 schooling reform in Uganda, […]
Implementing the skilled birth attendance strategy in Uganda: A policy analysis
Background: Uganda, a low resource country, implemented the skilled attendance at birth strategy, to meet a key target of the 5th Millenium Development Goal (MDG), 75% reduction in maternal mortality ratio. Maternal mortality rates remained high, despite the improvement in facility delivery rates. In this paper, we analyse the strategies implemented and bottlenecks experienced as […]
Applying the model of diffusion of innovations to understand facilitators for the implementation of maternal and neonatal health programmes in rural Uganda
In Uganda, more than 336 out of every 100,000 women die annually during childbirth. Pregnant women, particularly in rural areas, often lack the financial resources and means to access health facilities in a timely manner for quality antenatal, delivery, and post-natal services. For nearly the past decade, the Makerere University School of Public Health researchers, […]
Water, socioeconomic factors, and human herpesvirus 8 infection in Ugandan children and their mothers
Background: Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) infection is common in sub-Saharan Africa, but its distribution is uneven. Transmission occurs during childhood within families by unclear routes. Methods: We evaluated 600 Ugandan children with sickle cell disease and their mothers for factors associated with HHV-8 seropositivity in a cross-sectional study. HHV-8 serostatus was determined using an HHV-8 […]