Participation in a Community-Based Women’s Health Education Program and At-Risk Child Development in Rural Kenya: Developmental Screening Questionnaire Results Analysis
Background: Over 43% of children living in low- and middle-income countries are at risk for developmental delays; however, access to protective interventions in these settings is limited. We evaluated the effect of maternal participation in Chamas for Change (Chamas)-a community-based women’s health education program during pregnancy and postpartum-and risk of developmental delay among their children […]
Explaining changes in wealth inequalities in child health: The case of stunting and wasting in Nigeria
Background Malnutrition is a major cause of child death, and many children suffer from acute and chronic malnutrition. Nigeria has the second-highest burden of stunting globally and a higher-than-average child wasting prevalence. Moreover, there is substantial spatial variation in the prevalence of stunting and wasting in Nigeria. This paper assessed the socioeconomic inequalities and determinants […]
Impact of reliable light and electricity on job satisfaction among maternity health workers in Uganda: A cluster randomized trial
Background: Maintaining a motivated health workforce is critical to health system effectiveness and quality of care. Scant evidence exists on whether interventions aimed to strengthen health infrastructure in low-resource settings affect health workers. This study evaluated the impact of an intervention providing solar light and electricity to rural maternity facilities in Uganda on health workers’ […]
Service readiness, health facility management practices, and delivery care utilization in five states of Nigeria: A cross-sectional analysis
Background: Existing studies of delivery care in Nigeria have identified socioeconomic and cultural factors as the primary determinants of health facility delivery. However, no study has investigated the association between supply-side factors and health facility delivery. Our study analyzed the role of supply-side factors, particularly health facility readiness and management practices for provision of quality […]
Development and launch of the first obstetrics and gynaecology master of medicine residency training programme in Botswana
Background: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces a severe shortage of Obstetrician Gynaecologists (OBGYNs). While the Lancet Commission for Global Surgery recommends 20 OBGYNs per 100,000 population, Botswana has only 40 OBGYNs for a population of 2.3 million. We describe the development of the first OBGYN Master of Medicine (MMed) training programme in Botswana to address this […]
The influence of travel time to health facilities on stillbirths: A geospatial case-control analysis of facility-based data in Gombe, Nigeria
Access to quality emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC); having a skilled attendant at birth (SBA); adequate antenatal care; and efficient referral systems are considered the most effective interventions in preventing stillbirths. We determined the influence of travel time from mother’s area of residence to a tertiary health facility where women sought care on the […]
Wealth-related inequalities of women’s knowledge of cervical cancer screening and service utilisation in 18 resource-constrained countries: Evidence from a pooled decomposition analysis
Introduction: Resource-constrained countries (RCCs) have the highest burden of cervical cancer (CC) in the world. Nonetheless, although CC can be prevented through screening for precancerous lesions, only a small proportion of women utilise screening services in RCCs. The objective of this study was to examine the magnitude of inequalities of women’s knowledge and utilisation of […]
Mobile Technology for Community Health in Ghana: What happens when technical functionality threatens the effectiveness of digital health programs?
Background: Despite the growing use of technology in the health sector, little evidence is available on the technological performance of mobile health programs nor on the willingness of target users to utilize these technologies as intended (behavioral performance). In this case study of the Mobile Technology for Health (MOTECH) program in Ghana, we assess the […]
Testing strategies for couple engagement in prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and family health in Kenya: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Background: HIV-related maternal deaths and HIV infection among infants remain unacceptably high across sub-Saharan Africa despite increased antenatal care attendance and provision of antiretroviral therapy to pregnant women. In the Jamii Bora (“Better Family” in Swahili) Study, we seek to test the efficacy of an interdependence theory-based couple intervention. The intervention reaches pregnant women and […]
Patient perspectives on interpersonal aspects of healthcare and patient-centeredness at primary health facilities: A mixed methods study in rural Eastern Uganda
Introduction: Patient-centered care (PCC) is an approach to involve patients in health care delivery, to contribute to quality of care, and to strengthen health systems responsiveness. This article aims to highlight patient perspectives by showcasing their perceptions of their experience of PCC at primary health facilities in two districts in Uganda. Methods: A mixed methods […]
