Effects of Maternal Suicidal Ideation on Child Cognitive Development: A Longitudinal Analysis
This study aimed to assess the association between suicidal ideation among mothers living with HIV in Zimbabwe and the cognitive development of their children. Participants were mother–child dyads recruited from two rural districts in Zimbabwe. Data were collected at baseline and 12 months follow-up. Suicidal ideation was assessed using item-10 from the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale. […]
Implementation and maintenance of infant dietary diversity in Zimbabwe: contribution of food and water insecurity
Background: Inadequate food and water resources negatively affect child health and the efficiency of nutrition interventions. Methods: We used data from the SHINE trial to investigate the associations of food insecurity (FI) and water insecurity (WI) on mothers’ implementation and maintenance of minimum infant dietary diversity (MIDD). We conducted factor analysis to identify and score […]
WHO 2010 guidelines for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission in Zimbabwe: Modeling clinical outcomes in infants and mothers
Background: The Zimbabwean national prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) program provided primarily single-dose nevirapine (sdNVP) from 2002-2009 and is currently replacing sdNVP with more effective antiretroviral (ARV) regimens. Methods: Published HIV and PMTCT models, with local trial and programmatic data, were used to simulate a cohort of HIV-infected, pregnant/breastfeeding women in Zimbabwe (mean age […]
Is there a threshold level of maternal education sufficient to reduce child undernutrition? Evidence from Malawi, Tanzania and Zimbabwe
Background: Maternal education is strongly associated with young child nutrition outcomes. However, the threshold of the level of maternal education that reduces the level of undernutrition in children is not well established. This paper investigates the level of threshold of maternal education that influences child nutrition outcomes using Demographic and Health Survey data from Malawi […]
Food insecurity is a barrier to prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission services in Zimbabwe: A cross-sectional study
Background: Food insecurity (FI) is the lack of physical, social, and economic access to sufficient food for dietary needs and food preferences. We examined the association between FI and women’s uptake of services to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission (MTCT) in Zimbabwe. Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data collected in 2012 from women living in five of […]
Causes of maternal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review of studies published from 2015 to 2020
Background: Maternal deaths remain high in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and their causes of maternal death must be analysed frequently in this region to guide interventions. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of studies published from 2015 to 2020 that reported the causes of maternal deaths in 57 SSA countries. The objective was to identify the […]
Is religion the forgotten variable in maternal and child health? Evidence from Zimbabwe
The Apostolic faith, a rapidly growing and increasingly influential force in Zimbabwe, has received attention in the literature due to its potential role in shaping its followers’ attitudes and behaviours towards health. Existing literature, however, has only examined small cross-section samples from a few confined survey sites or has failed to adequately control for the […]
Protocol for analysing the epidemiology of maternal mortality in Zimbabwe: A civil registration and vital statistics trend study
Background Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) carries the highest burden of maternal mortality, yet, the accurate maternal mortality ratios (MMR) are uncertain in most SSA countries. Measuring maternal mortality is challenging in this region, where civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems are weak or non-existent. We describe a protocol designed to explore the use of CRVS […]
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 […]
Growth and growth trajectory among infants in early life: Contributions of food insecurity and water insecurity in rural Zimbabwe
Introduction Stunting or linear growth faltering, measured by length-for-age Z-score (LAZ), remains a significant public health challenge, particularly in rural low-income and middle-income countries. It is a marker of inadequate environments in which infants are born and raised. However, the contributions of household resource insecurities, such as food and water, to growth and growth trajectory […]
