An audit of zimbabwean public sector diagnostic ultrasound services
Introduction: the provision of basic diagnostic imaging services is pivotal to achieving universal health coverage. An estimated two-thirds of the world’s population have no access to basic diagnostic imaging. Accurate data on current imaging equipment resources are required to inform health delivery strategy and policy at national level. This is an audit of Zimbabwean public […]
Factors associated with HIV infection among children born to mothers on the prevention of mother to child transmission programme at Chitungwiza Hospital, Zimbabwe, 2008
Background: Zimbabwe is one of the five countries worst affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic with HIV infection contributing increasingly to childhood morbidity and mortality. Among the children born to HIV positive mothers participating in the PMTCT programme, 25% tested positive to HIV. We investigated factors associated with HIV infection among children born to mothers on […]
Evaluation of a novel device for the management of high blood pressure and shock in pregnancy in low-resource settings: Study protocol for a stepped-wedge cluster-randomised controlled trial (CRADLE-3 trial)
Background: Obstetric haemorrhage, sepsis and pregnancy hypertension account for more than 50% of maternal deaths worldwide. Early detection and effective management of these conditions relies on vital signs. The Microlife® CRADLE Vital Sign Alert (VSA) is an easy-to-use, accurate device that measures blood pressure and pulse. It incorporates a traffic-light early warning system that alerts […]
Realities and challenges of a five year follow up of mother and child pairs on a PMTCT program in Zimbabwe
Background: Complete follow up is an essential component of observational cohorts irrespective of the type of disease. Objectives: To describe five years follow up of mother and child pairs on a PMTCT program, highlighting loss to follow up (LTFU) and mortality (attrition). Study Design: A cohort of pregnant women was enrolled from the national PMTCT […]
Measuring socioeconomic inequalities in prenatal HIV test service uptake for prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV in East Africa: A decomposition analysis
Background Despite efforts made towards the elimination of mother-to-child HIV transmission, socioeconomic inequality in prenatal HIV test uptake in East Africa is not well understood. Therefore, this study aimed at measuring socioeconomic inequalities in prenatal HIV test uptake and explaining its main determinants in East Africa Method We analysed a total weighted sample of 45,476 […]
Investigating the accessibility factors that influence antenatal care services utilisation in Mangwe district, Zimbabwe
Background: Maternal and infant mortality remains a huge public health problem in developing countries. One of the strategies to minimise the risks of both maternal and infant mortality is access to and utilisation of antenatal care (ANC) services. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the accessibility factors that influence the use of ANC services in […]
Prenatal hiv test uptake and its associated factors for prevention of mother to child transmission of hiv in East Africa
Identifying the socioeconomic and structural issues that act as enablers and/or barriers to HIV testing services is critical in combatting HIV/AIDS amongst mothers and children in Africa. In this study, we used a weighted sample of 46,645 women aged 15–49 who gave birth in the two years preceding the survey from the recent DHS dataset […]
Mind the Gap: What explains the education-related inequality in missed opportunities for vaccination in sub-Saharan Africa? Compositional and structural characteristics
Missed opportunities for vaccination (MOV) is an important barrier hindering full immunisation coverage among eligible children. Though factors responsible for MOV are well documented in literature, little attention has been paid to the role of inequalities. The aim of this study is to examine the association between structural or compositional factors and education inequalities in […]
Prevalence of low birth weight and its associated factor at birth in Sub-Saharan Africa: A generalized linear mixed model
Background Low birth weight (LBW) is one of the major determinants of perinatal survival, infant morbidity, and mortality, as well as the risk of developmental disabilities and illnesses in future lives. Though studies were conducted to assess the magnitude and associated factors of low birth weight, most of the studies were at a single center […]
“I don’t want financial support but verbal support.” How do caregivers manage children’s access to and retention in HIV care in urban Zimbabwe?
Introduction: Children living with HIV experience particular challenges in accessing HIV care. Children usually rely on adult caregivers for access to care, including timely diagnosis, initiation of treatment and sustained engagement with HIV services. The aim of this study was to inform the design of a community-based intervention to support caregivers of HIV-positive children to […]
