Evaluation of a community health worker intervention and the World Health Organization’s Option B versus Option A to improve antenatal care and PMTCT outcomes in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: Study protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled health systems implementation trial
Background: Mother-to-child transmission of HIV remains an important public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa. As HIV testing and linkage to PMTCT occurs in antenatal care (ANC), major challenges for any PMTCT option in developing countries, including Tanzania, are delays in the first ANC visit and a low overall number of visits. Community health workers (CHWs) […]
Association Between Nutrition Social Behavior Change Communication and Improved Caregiver Health and Nutrition Knowledge and Practices in Rural Tanzania
Background: Efforts to improve infant and young child feeding practices include the use of nutrition behavior change communication among caregivers of children under 5 years. We assessed the association between monthly participation in community-level nutrition group meetings on caregiver health and nutrition knowledge and practices (KPs). Methods: Data from a community-based cross-sectional survey conducted in […]
The Philani MOVIE study: A cluster-randomized controlled trial of a mobile video entertainment-education intervention to promote exclusive breastfeeding in South Africa
Background: In South Africa, rates of exclusive breastfeeding remain low and breastfeeding promotion is a national health priority. Mobile health and narrative entertainment-education are recognized strategies for health promotion. In-home counseling by community health workers (CHWs) is a proven breastfeeding promotion strategy. This protocol outlines a cluster-randomized controlled trial with a nested mixed-methods evaluation of […]
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 […]
Level and determinants of food insecurity in East and West Gojjam zones of Amhara Region, Ethiopia: A community based comparative cross-sectional study
Background: Food insecurity remains highly prevalent in developing countries and over the past two decades it has increasingly been recognized as a serious public health problem, including in Ethiopia. An emerging body of literature links food insecurity to a range of negative health outcomes and causes of a decline in productivity. The objectives of the […]
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 […]
Responding to policy makers’ evaluation needs: Combining experimental and quasi-experimental approaches to estimate the impact of performance based financing in Burkina Faso
Background: The last two decades have seen a growing recognition of the need to expand the impact evaluation toolbox from an exclusive focus on randomized controlled trials to including quasi-experimental approaches. This appears to be particularly relevant when evaluation complex health interventions embedded in real-life settings often characterized by multiple research interests, limited researcher control, […]
Wearable digital sensors to identify risks of postpartum depression and personalize psychological treatment for adolescent mothers: Protocol for a mixed methods exploratory study in rural Nepal
Background: There is a high prevalence of untreated postpartum depression among adolescent mothers with the greatest gap in services in low- and middle-income countries. Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of nonspecialists to provide mental health services for postpartum depression in these low-resource settings. However, there is inconsistency in short-term and long-term benefits from the […]
Operationalising kangaroo Mother care before stabilisation amongst low birth Weight Neonates in Africa (OMWaNA): Protocol for a randomised controlled trial to examine mortality impact in Uganda
Background: There are 2.5 million neonatal deaths each year; the majority occur within 48 h of birth, before stabilisation. Evidence from 11 trials shows that kangaroo mother care (KMC) significantly reduces mortality in stabilised neonates; however, data on its effect among neonates before stabilisation are lacking. The OMWaNA trial aims to determine the effect of […]
Effects of single and integrated water, sanitation, handwashing, and nutrition interventions on child soil-transmitted helminth and giardia infections: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in rural Kenya
Background Helminth and protozoan infections affect more than 1 billion children globally. Improving water quality, sanitation, handwashing, and nutrition could be more sustainable control strategies for parasite infections than mass drug administration, while providing other quality of life benefits. Methods and findings We enrolled geographic clusters of pregnant women in rural western Kenya into a […]
