Postnatal care services in rural Zambia: a qualitative exploration of user, provider, and community perspectives on quality of care
Background: Postnatal care (PNC) is an important set of services offered to the mother and her newborn baby immediately after birth for the first six weeks to prevent maternal and neonatal complications and death. This qualitative study explored user and provider perspectives on quality of PNC services in the selected health facilities within the context […]
Can people-centered community-oriented interventions improve skilled birth attendance? Evidence from a quasi-experimental study in rural communities of Cambodia, Kenya, and Zambia
Background: Skilled attendance at delivery is a key marker for reducing maternal mortality. Effective community engagement strategies complemented by community health worker (CHW) services can improve access to maternal health services in areas with limited health infrastructure or workforce. Methods: A quasi-experimental study with matched comparison groups was conducted in Cambodia, Kenya and Zambia to […]
Place of Delivery Associated With Postnatal Care Utilization Among Childbearing Women in Zambia
Objective: Postnatal care (PNC) utilization is critical to the prevention of maternal morbidity and mortality. Despite its importance, the proportion of women utilizing this service is still low in Zambia. We investigated if place of delivery was associated with PNC utilization in the first 48 h among childbearing women in Zambia. Methods: Data from the […]
Stillbirth 2010–2018: a prospective, population-based, multi-country study from the Global Network
Background: Stillbirth rates are high and represent a substantial proportion of the under-5 mortality in low and middle-income countries (LMIC). In LMIC, where nearly 98% of stillbirths worldwide occur, few population-based studies have documented cause of stillbirths or the trends in rate of stillbirth over time. Methods: We undertook a prospective, population-based multi-country research study […]
Impact of maternal death reviews at a rural hospital in Zambia: A mixed methods study
Background: Maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa remains high despite programmatic efforts to improve maternal health. In 2007, the Zambian Ministry of Health mandated facility-based maternal death review (MDR) programs in line with World Health Organization recommendations. We assessed the impact of an [MDR program] at a district-level hospital in rural Zambia. Methods: We conducted a […]
Higher Educational Attainment Associated with Optimal Antenatal Care Visits among Childbearing Women in Zambia
Objective: Attendance of at least four antenatal care (ANC) visits over the period of pregnancy has been accepted by World Health Organization to comprise the optimal and adequate standard of ANC because of its positive association with good maternal and neonatal outcomes during the prenatal period. Despite free ANC being provided, many pregnant women have […]
A prospective study of maternal, fetal and neonatal deaths in low- and middle-income countries
Objective: To quantify maternal, fetal and neonatal mortality in low- and middle-income countries, to identify when deaths occur and to identify relationships between maternal deaths and stillbirths and neonatal deaths. Methods: A prospective study of pregnancy outcomes was performed in 106 communities at seven sites in Argentina, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Pakistan and Zambia. Pregnant women […]
Examining barriers to healthcare access and utilization of antenatal care services: evidence from demographic health surveys in sub-Saharan Africa
Background: Antenatal care utilization is one of the means for reducing the high maternal mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa. This study examined the association between barriers to healthcare access and implementation of the 2016 WHO antenatal care services model among pregnant women seeking antenatal care in selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: This study considered only […]
Community perspectives of a 3-delays model intervention: A qualitative evaluation of saving mothers, giving life in Zambia
Background: Saving Mothers, Giving Life (SMGL), a health systems strengthening approach based on the 3-delays model, aimed to reduce maternal and perinatal mortality in 6 districts in Zambia between 2012 and 2017. By 2016, the maternal mortality ratio in SMGL-supported districts declined by 41% compared to its level at the beginning of SMGL-from 480 to […]
Factors Associated With Uptake of Iron Supplement During Pregnancy Among Women of Reproductive Age in Tanzania: an Analysis of Data From the 2015 to 2016 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey and Malaria Indicators Survey
Background: Pregnant women are vulnerable to iron deficiency due to the fact that more iron is needed primarily to supply the growing fetus and placenta and to increase the maternal red cell mass. Little is known on the factors associated with uptake of iron supplement during pregnancy. Methods: The study used data from the 2015 […]
