A qualitative study exploring the determinants of maternal health service uptake in post-conflict Burundi and Northern Uganda
Background: Armed conflict has been described as an important contributor to the social determinants of health and a driver of health inequity, including maternal health. These conflicts may severely reduce access to maternal health services and, as a consequence, lead to poor maternal health outcomes for a period extending beyond the conflict itself. As such, […]
Determinants of maternal high-risk fertility behaviors and its correlation with child stunting and anemia in the East Africa region: A pooled analysis of nine East African countries
Background In low-income nations, high-risk fertility behavior is a prevalent public health concern that can be ascribed to unmet family planning needs, child marriage, and a weak health system. As a result, this study aimed to determine the factors that influence high-risk fertility behavior and its impact on child stunting and anemia. Method This study […]
Determinants of the disparities in antenatal care and delivery care services in Uganda
Disparities in the Antenatal Care (ANC) attendance and Delivery in a Health Facility (DHF) were examined in Uganda where the maternal and the new-born mortality are high. Cross-sectional data on 4818 women were obtained from the 2011 Uganda Demographic Health Survey and was used. Over half and three-fifth of the women attended the recommended 4 […]
Access to safe abortion in Uganda: Leveraging opportunities through the harm reduction model
Access to safe and legal abortion services is a far reach for women and girls in Uganda. Although unsafe abortion rates have fallen from 54 to 39 per 1000 women aged 15–45 years over a decade, absolute figures show a rise from 294 000 in 2003 to 314 000 women having unsafe abortions in 2013. Unfortunately, only 50% […]
Antenatal care services in rural Uganda: Missed opportunities for good-quality care
Experience from countries that have achieved low maternal mortality suggests that access to good-quality maternity services is critical to improve maternal health. In this article we appraise the quality of antenatal care (ANC) services in a rural district of Uganda. We used a mixed methods approach, relying on a combination of semistructured interviews with both […]
Gastroschisis in Uganda: Opportunities for improved survival
Purpose Neonatal mortality from gastroschisis in sub-Saharan Africa is high, while in high-income countries, mortality is less than 5%. The purpose of this study was to describe the maternal and neonatal characteristics of gastroschisis in Uganda, estimate the mortality and elucidate opportunities for intervention. Methods An ethics-approved, prospective cohort study was conducted over a one-year […]
Bottleneck analysis at district level to illustrate gaps within the district health system in Uganda
Background: Poor quality of care and access to effective and affordable interventions have been attributed to constraints and bottlenecks within and outside the health system. However, there is limited understanding of health system barriers to utilization and delivery of appropriate, highimpact, and cost-effective interventions at the point of service delivery in districts and sub-districts in […]
Factors associated with skilled attendance at delivery in Uganda: Results from a national health facility survey
Uganda has high maternal mortality ratio of 435/100,000 live births. In order to address this, Uganda has developed a strategy and has prioritized skilled attendance at delivery as a key intervention. Methods: A survey covering 54 districts and 553 health facilities was conducted to determine availability and access to essential maternity care and health system […]
Prevalence of maternal near miss and community-based risk factors in Central Uganda
Objective To examine the prevalence of maternal near-miss (MNM) and its associated risk factors in a community setting in Central Uganda. Methods A cross-sectional research design employing multi-stage sampling collected data from women aged 15–49 years in Rakai, Uganda, who had been pregnant in the 3 years preceding the survey, conducted between August 10 and December […]
Personal accounts of ‘near-miss’ maternal mortalities in Kampala, Uganda
Objective: To explore the socio-economic determinants of maternal mortality in Uganda through interviews with women who had ‘near-misses’. Design: Observational study using qualitative research methods. Setting: The postnatal and gynaecology wards of a large government hospital in Kampala, Uganda. Sample: Thirty women who had narrowly avoided maternal deaths with diagnoses of obstructed labour (7), severe […]
