Development of a Fetal Weight Chart Using Serial Trans-Abdominal Ultrasound in an East African Population: A Longitudinal Observational Study
Objective: To produce a fetal weight chart representative of a Tanzanian population, and compare it to weight charts from Sub-Saharan Africa and the developed world. Methods: A longitudinal observational study in Northeastern Tanzania. Pregnant women were followed throughout pregnancy with serial trans-abdominal ultrasound. All pregnancies with pathology were excluded and a chart representing the optimal […]
Patterns and predictors of gestational weight gain in Addis Ababa, Central Ethiopia: a prospective cohort study
Introduction: Gaining excessive or inadequate gestational weight is associated with many adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Inadequate gestational weight gain (GWG) increases the risk of fetal growth restriction, pre-term birth, and low birth weight. It is a public health concern in sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this study was to assess the patterns and predictors […]
Exploring the effect of implementation and context on a stepped-wedge randomised controlled trial of a vital sign triage device in routine maternity care in low-resource settings
Background: Interventions aimed at reducing maternal mortality are increasingly complex. Understanding how complex interventions are delivered, to whom, and how they work is key in ensuring their rapid scale-up. We delivered a vital signs triage intervention into routine maternity care in eight low- and middle-income countries with the aim of reducing a composite outcome of […]
Health service barriers to HIV testing and counseling among pregnant women attending Antenatal Clinic; A cross-sectional study
Background: HIV testing and counseling (HTC) remains critical in the global efforts to reach a goal of universal access to prevention and timely human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment and health care. Routine HIV testing has been shown to be cost-effective and life-saving by prolonging the life expectancy of HIV patients and reducing the annual HIV […]
‘I am all alone’: Factors influencing the provision of termination of pregnancy services in two South African provinces
Background: Globally, universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services has been re-emphasised. One-third of maternal deaths could be averted by improving access to safe abortion services. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the implementation of the Choice of Termination of Pregnancy Act has been suboptimal in South Africa. Objectives: In two South African provinces, determine: […]
HIV testing during pregnancy for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Ethiopia
Introduction HIV testing during pregnancy provides an entry point to prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and to access treatment for HIV positive women. The study aimed to assess the uptake of HIV testing during pregnancy and associated factors among Ethiopian women. Methods We analyzed the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey dataset. Women who […]
Fee exemption for caesarean section in Morocco
Financial barriers are an important obstacle for access to emergency obstetric care and a contributing factor to too slow a reduction in the level of maternal mortality. In Morocco, in 2009, a fee exemption policy for delivery and caesarean section was implemented in public maternity hospitals. As in most countries where a fee exemption policy […]
Pay for performance: An analysis of the context of implementation in a pilot project in Tanzania
Background: Pay for performance schemes are increasingly being implemented in low income countries to improve health service coverage and quality. This paper describes the context within which a pay for performance programme was introduced in Tanzania and discusses the potential for pay for performance to address health system constraints to meeting targets. Method: 40 in-depth […]
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice towards COVID-19 among Mothers in Dessie Town, Northeast Ethiopia, 2020
Background. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly infectious disease causing a catastrophic effect, and many of us are worried to find a new normal. Many burdens are occurring in households, predominantly to women and mothers. Women worldwide are naive on COVID-19 symptoms, transmission, and prevention measures and worried on being exposed to coronavirus. The […]
Decreasing incidence of pregnancy among HIV-positive adolescents in a large HIV treatment program in western Kenya between 2005 and 2017: a retrospective cohort study
Background: The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence, incidence and risk factors for pregnancy among HIV-positive adolescents in a large HIV treatment program in western Kenya. Methods: The Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) program is a partnership between Moi University, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and a consortium of 11 […]
