Factors associated with birth preparedness and complication readiness in Southern Ethiopia: a community based cross-sectional study
BACKGROUND: Birth preparedness and complication readiness (BP/CR) is a strategy to promote use of skilled maternal and neonatal care so that they can get timely skilled care, particularly during child birth. There is minimal evidence on the factors associated with BP/CR among pregnant women in Ethiopia. Hence, this study aimed to assess the factors influencing […]
Improving service uptake and quality of care of integrated maternal health services: The Kenya kwale district improvement collaborative
Background: Health-related millennium development goals are off track in most of the countries in the sub-Saharan African region. Lack of access to, and low utilization of essential services and high-impact interventions, together with poor quality of health services, may be partially responsible for this lack of progress. We explored whether improvement approaches can be applied […]
Complex multiple introductions drive fall armyworm invasions into Asia and Australia
The fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda is thought to have undergone a rapid ‘west-to-east’ spread since 2016 when it was first identified in western Africa. Between 2018 and 2020, it was recorded from South Asia (SA), Southeast Asia (SEA), East Asia (EA), and Pacific/Australia (PA). Population genomic analyses enabled the understanding of pathways, population sources, […]
Early feeding practices and stunting in Rwandan children: A cross-sectional study from the 2010 Rwanda demographic and health survey
Introduction: in Rwanda, despite different interventions to improve child nutrition status, malnutrition in children under five years of age continue to be a public health concern. This study aimed to evaluate the factors that contribute to childhood stunting by assessing feeding practices of Rwandans in children ≤ 2 years of age. Methods: A cross-sectional study […]
Process Evaluation of Skilled Delivery Service in Hadiya Zone in Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region, Ethiopia
Pregnancy-related death is a cause for maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity as well as an obstacle for economic growth. Three-quarters of mothers’ lives can be saved if women have access to a skilled health worker at delivery and emergency obstetric care. This evaluation was conducted to assess skilled delivery service implementation level by using […]
Level of Postnatal Checkup in Ethiopia – Implications for Child Health Services
Background: High neonatal mortality rates continue to be a major public health issue in Ethiopia. Despite different maternal and neonatal care interventions, neonatal mortality in Ethiopia is at a steady state. This could be due to the low utilization of neonatal checkups. Thus, nationally assessing the level and predictors of postnatal checkups could provide important […]
Disengagement of HIV-positive pregnant and postpartum women from antiretroviral therapy services: A cohort study
Introduction: Recent international guidelines call for expanded access to triple-drug antiretroviral therapy (ART) in HIV-positive women during pregnancy and postpartum. However, high levels of non-adherence and/or disengagement from care may attenuate the benefits of ART for HIV transmission and maternal health. We examined the frequency and predictors of disengagement from care among women initiating ART […]
Prevalence and factors associated with covert contraceptive use in Kenya: a cross-sectional study
Background: Family planning (FP) is a key intervention for preventing unplanned pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and maternal death. Involvement of both women and their partners promotes contraceptive acceptance, uptake and continuation, couple communication and gender-equitable attitude. Partner involvement is a key strategy for addressing about 17.5% of the unmet needs in FP in Kenya. This study […]
Orphans of the AIDS epidemic? the extent, nature and circumstances of child-headed households in South Africa
There is widespread concern that the number of children living in child-headed households is rapidly increasing as a result of AIDS-related adult mortality in much of sub-Saharan Africa. Based on analyses of data from several representative national surveys over the period 2000-2007, this paper examines the extent to which this is the case in South […]
Unwanted pregnancy and associated factors among pregnant married women in Hosanna town, Southern Ethiopia
Of an estimated 210 million pregnancies that occur in the world each year, 38% are unplanned, out of which 22% end in abortion. In Ethiopia, the estimates of unintended pregnancy indicate that it is one of the major reproductive health problems with all its adverse outcomes. Women risk their lives in by seeking illegal abortions […]
