Parity and institutional delivery in rural Tanzania: A multilevel analysis and policy implications
Objectives We assess the extent to which the use of healthcare facilities for childbirth varies by parity, conditional on socio-economic, psychological and health characteristics. We also assess differences in the determinants of institutionalized delivery for first-time mothers and multiparous, and explore village-level variations in observed relationships.Methods Survey data from a three-stage cross-sectional cluster sample of […]
Prelacteal feeding practice and its determinant factors among mothers having children less than 6 months of age in Bure district, Northwest Ethiopia: A community-based cross-sectional study
Objective The main aim of this study was to assess prelacteal feeding practice and its determinant factors among mothers having children less than 6 months of age in Bure district, Northwest Ethiopia. Design Community-based cross-sectional study design. Setting Northern Ethiopia. Participants The present study was conducted among 621 mothers who had children less than 6 […]
Applying the RE-AIM framework in a process evaluation of the introduction of the Non-Pneumatic Anti-Shock Garment in a rural district of Zimbabwe
The Non-Pneumatic Anti-Shock Garment (NASG) is a first aid tool that can halt and reverse hypovolemic shock secondary to obstetric hemorrhage. The World Health Organization recommended the NASG for use as a temporizing measure in 2012, but uptake of the recommendation has been slow, partially because operational experience is limited. The study is a process […]
Socio-demographic and environmental determinants of under-5 stunting in Rwanda: Evidence from a multisectoral study
Child stunting is an important household, socio-economic, environmental and nutritional stress indicator. Nationally, 33% of children under 5 in Rwanda are stunted necessitating the need to identify factors perpetuating stunting for targeted interventions. Our study assessed the individual and community-level determinants of under-5 stunting essential for designing appropriate policy and program responses for addressing stunting […]
Piloting a systems level intervention to improve cervical cancer screening, treatment and follow up in Kenya
Although preventable, Cervical Cancer (CC) is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women in Sub-Saharan Africa with the highest incidence in East Africa. Kenyan guidelines recommend an immediate screen and treat approach using either Pap smear or visual screening methods. However, system (e.g., inadequate infrastructure, weak treatment, referral and tracking systems) and patient (e.g., […]
Experiences of care in the context of payment for performance (P4P) in Tanzania
Background: Tanzania is one of many low income countries committed to universal health coverage and Sustainable Development Goals. Despite these bold goals, there is growing concern that the country could be off-track in meeting these goals. This prompted the Government of Tanzania to look for ways to improve health outcomes in these goals and this […]
Determinants of enrolment and renewing of community-based health insurance in households with under-5 children in rural South-Western Uganda
Background: The desire for universal health coverage in developing countries has brought attention to community-based health insurance (CBHI) schemes in developing countries. The government of Uganda is currently debating policy for the national health insurance programme, targeting the integration of existing CBHI schemes into a larger national risk pool. However, while enrolment has been largely […]
Health facility characteristics and their relationship to coverage of PMTCT of HIV services across four African countries: The PEARL study
Background: Health facility characteristics associated with effective prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) coverage in sub-Saharan are poorly understood. Methodology/Principal Findings: We conducted surveys in health facilities with active PMTCT services in Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, South Africa, and Zambia. Data was compiled via direct observation and exit interviews. We constructed composite scores to describe […]
If Times Change, Should We Throw Away The Hearthstone? Exploring (Dis) Continuities In Autonomy And Decision-Making In The Lives Of Ghanaian Women
This paper attempts to investigate continuities and discontinuities between traditional and modern representations of womanhood and female gender roles focusing primarily on family and work settings. Using approaches informed by Sociology, Cultural Psychology, and African Studies, the paper explores traditional views of womanhood encapsulated in (and also transmitted intergenerationally) through proverbs. This customary perspective is […]
The “universal” in UHC and Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme: Policy and implementation challenges and dilemmas of a lower middle income country
Background: Despite universal population coverage and equity being a stated policy goal of its NHIS, over a decade since passage of the first law in 2003, Ghana continues to struggle with how to attain it. The predominantly (about 70 %) tax funded NHIS currently has active enrolment hovering around 40 % of the population. This […]
