What’s normal? Oligosaccharide concentrations and profiles in milk produced by healthy women vary geographically
Background: Human milk is a complex fluid comprised of myriad substances, with one of the most abundant substances being a group of complex carbohydrates referred to as human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). There has been some evidence that HMO profiles differ in populations, but few studies have rigorously explored this variability. Objectives: We tested the hypothesis […]
Measuring health system resilience in a highly fragile nation during protracted conflict: South Sudan 2011-15
Health systems resilience (HSR) is defined as the ability of a health system to continue providing normal services in response to a crisis, making it a critical concept for analysis of health systems in fragile and conflict-affected settings (FCAS). However, no consensus for this definition exists and even less about how to measure HSR. We […]
Monitoring childbirth care in primary health facilities: A validity study in Gombe State, northeastern Nigeria
Background Improving the quality of facility-based births is a critical strategy for reducing the high burden of maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity across all settings. Accurate data on childbirth care is essential for monitoring progress. In northeastern Nigeria, we assessed the validity of childbirth care indicators in a rural primary health care context, as […]
Effects of a community health worker delivered intervention on maternal depressive symptoms in rural Tanzania
Maternal depression affects one in four women in sub-Saharan Africa, yet evidence on effective and scalable interventions is limited. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of a community health worker (CHW) delivered home visit responsive stimulation, health and nutrition intervention, and conditional cash transfers (CCTs) for antenatal care and child growth monitoring attendance on […]
Impact of results-based financing on effective obstetric care coverage: Evidence from a quasi-experimental study in Malawi
Background: Results-based financing (RBF) describes health system approaches addressing both service quality and use. Effective coverage is a metric measuring progress towards universal health coverage (UHC). Although considered a means towards achieving UHC in settings with weak health financing modalities, the impact of RBF on effective coverage has not been explicitly studied. Methods: Malawi introduced […]
Effect of 12-month intervention with lipid-based nutrient supplement on the physical activity of Malawian toddlers: A randomised, controlled trial
Physical activity is beneficial for children’s well-being. The effect of dietary supplementation on children’s physical activity in food-insecure areas remains little studied. We examined the effects of a lipid-based nutrient supplement (LNS) on children’s objectively measured physical activity in a randomised, controlled, outcome-assessor-blinded trial. Mothers of the children received one capsule daily of Fe-folic acid […]
Maternal mental health priorities, help-seeking behaviors, and resources in post-conflict settings: A qualitative study in eastern Uganda
Background: Limited knowledge exists to inform the selection and introduction of locally relevant, feasible, and effective mental health interventions in diverse socio-cultural contexts and health systems. We examined stakeholders’ perspectives on mental health-related priorities, help-seeking behaviors, and existing resources to guide the development of a maternal mental health component for integration into non-specialized care in […]
Prevalence and risk factors of overweight and obesity among children aged 6-59 months in Cameroon: A multistage, stratified cluster sampling nationwide survey
Background: Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children ( 2) and obesity (BMI for age > 3). Regression analyses were performed to investigate risk factors of overweight/obesity. Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 8% (1.7% for obesity […]
Food Insecurity and Maternal Diet Influence Human Milk Composition between the Infant’s Birth and 6 Months after Birth in Central-Africa
Although the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF recommend that infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life, evidence is scarce on how the mother’s undernourishment status at delivery and maternal dietary factors influence human milk (HM) composition during the first 6 months of life in regions with high food insecurity. […]
Evaluation of the effectiveness of a quality improvement intervention to support integration of maternal, child and HIV care in primary health care facilities in South Africa
Background: Despite policies and guidelines recommending integration of health services in South Africa, provision of maternal and child health services remains fragmented. This study evaluated a rapid, scaleable, quality improvement (QI) intervention to improve integration of maternal and child health and HIV services at a primary health level, in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Methods: A three-month […]
