Preference of homebirth and associated factors among pregnant women in Arba Minch health and demographic surveillance site, Southern Ethiopia
Background Home birth preference is the need of pregnant women to give birth at their home with the help of traditional (unskilled) birth attendants. Homebirth with unskilled birth attendants during childbirth is the main leading indicator for maternal and newborn death. In Ethiopia, numbers of women prefer homebirth which is assisted by unskilled personal. However, […]
Association between water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and child undernutrition in Ethiopia: a hierarchical approach
Background: Undernutrition is a significant public health challenge and one of the leading causes of child mortality in a wide range of developing countries, including Ethiopia. Poor access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities commonly contributes to child growth failure. There is a paucity of information on the interrelationship between WASH and child undernutrition […]
Determinants of facility readiness for integration of family planning with HIV testing and counseling services: Evidence from the Tanzania service provision assessment survey, 2014-2015
Background: Global policy reports, national frameworks, and programmatic tools and guidance emphasize the integration of family planning and HIV testing and counseling services to ensure universal access to reproductive health care and HIV prevention. However, the status of integration between these two services in Tanzanian health facilities is unclear. This study examined determinants of facility […]
Individual and facility-level factors associated with women’s receipt of immediate postpartum family planning counseling in Ethiopia: results from national surveys of women and health facilities
Background: Immediate postpartum family planning (IPPFP) helps prevent unintended and closely spaced pregnancies. Despite Ethiopia’s rising facility-based delivery rate and supportive IPPFP policies, the prevalence of postpartum contraceptive use remains low, with little known about disparities in access to IPPFP counseling. We sought to understand if women’s receipt of IPPFP counseling varied by individual and […]
Effect of single-dose anthelmintic treatment during pregnancy on an infant’s response to immunisation and on susceptibility to infectious diseases in infancy: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Helminth infections affect the human immune response. We investigated whether prenatal exposure to and treatment of maternal helminth infections affects development of an infant’s immune response to immunisations and unrelated infections. In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we enrolled 2507 women in the second or third trimester of pregnancy who were planning to deliver in […]
Seroprevalence and Determinants of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection Among Women of Reproductive Age in Mozambique: A Multilevel Analysis
Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has continued to be one of the foremost public health problems globally. Even as more people living with the disease can now have access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), there are still some regions in the world with high transmission rates. The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence […]
Tranexamic acid for the prevention of postpartum bleeding in women with anaemia: Study protocol for an international, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Background: Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is responsible for about 100,000 maternal deaths every year, most of which occur in low- and middle-income countries. Tranexamic acid (TXA) reduces bleeding by inhibiting the enzymatic breakdown of fibrin blood clots. TXA decreases blood loss in surgery and reduces death due to bleeding after trauma. When given within 3 h […]
“No visible signs of pregnancy, no sickness, no antenatal care”: Initiation of antenatal care in a rural district in Northern Ghana
Background: Attending antenatal care (ANC) early contribute to better birth outcomes. Studies have shown that many pregnant women in Sub-Saharan Africa do not initiate ANC early (i.e. in the first trimester). This study determined the gestational age of pregnancy at first ANC attendance. It also explored factors that influence initiation of ANC. Methods: This cross-sectional […]
Risk factors for obstructed labour in Eastern Uganda: A case control study
Introduction Obstructed labour (OL) is an important clinical and public health problem because of the associated maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Risk factors for OL and its associated obstetric squeal are usually context specific. No epidemiological study has documented the risk factors for OL in Eastern Uganda. This study was conducted to identify the […]
The impact of a multi-level maternal health programme on facility delivery and capacity for emergency obstetric care in Zambia
In 2012, Saving Mothers, Giving Life (SMGL), a multi-level health systems initiative, launched in Kalomo District, Zambia, to address persistent challenges in reducing maternal mortality. We assessed the impact of the programme from 2012 to 2013 using a quasi-experimental study with both household- and health facility-level data collected before and after implementation in both intervention […]
