Seasonal food insecurity in Haydom, Tanzania, Is associated with low birthweight and acute malnutrition: Results from the MAL-ED study

In rural agricultural communities in Africa, particularly those with a single annual harvest, the preharvest period has been associated with increased food insecurity. We estimated the association between seasonal food insecurity and childhood malnutrition in Haydom, Tanzania. Children enrolled in a birth cohort study were followed twice weekly to document food intake and monthly for […]

Predicting perinatal mortality based on maternal health status and health insurance service using homogeneous ensemble machine learning methods

Background: Perinatal mortality in Ethiopia is the highest in Africa, with 68 per 1000 pregnancies intrapartum deaths. It is mainly associated with home delivery, which contributes to more than 75% of perinatal deaths. Financial constraints significantly impact timely access to maternal health care. Financial incentives, such as health insurance, may address the demand- and supply-side […]

Community-level interventions for pre-eclampsia (CLIP) in Mozambique: A cluster randomised controlled trial

Objectives: Pregnancy hypertension is the third leading cause of maternal mortality in Mozambique and contributes significantly to fetal and neonatal mortality. The objective of this trial was to assess whether task-sharing care might reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes related to delays in triage, transport, and treatment. Study design: The Mozambique Community-Level Interventions for Pre-eclampsia (CLIP) cluster […]

Prevalence of Underweight and Its Associated Factors among Reproductive Age Group Women in Ethiopia: Analysis of the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey Data

Background. Underweight is defined as being below the healthy weight range. Underweight in reproductive age group women not only affects women but also increases the risk of an intergenerational cycle of malnutrition and child mortality. Various factors are linked with underweight among women. However, studies on the prevalence of underweight and its associated factors among […]

Group-level cooperation in chimpanzees is shaped by strong social ties

Humans maintain extensive social ties of varying preferences, providing a range of opportunities for beneficial cooperative exchange that may promote collective action and our unique capacity for large-scale cooperation. Similarly, non-human animals maintain differentiated social relationships that promote dyadic cooperative exchange, but their link to cooperative collective action is little known. Here, we investigate the […]

Facility-based delivery in the context of Zimbabwe’s HIV epidemic – missed opportunities for improving engagement with care: A community-based serosurvey

Background: In developing countries, facility-based delivery is recommended for maternal and neonatal health, and for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT). However, little is known about whether or not learning one’s HIV status affects one’s decision to deliver in a health facility. We examined this association in Zimbabwe. Methods: We analyzed data from a 2012 […]

Prevalence and factors associated with antenatal care utilization in Ethiopia: An evidence from demographic health survey 2016

Background: Ethiopia is one of the sub-Saharan African country with high maternal mortality ratio (MMR). According to Ethiopian demographic health survey (EDHS) 2016 report, MMR is 420 among 100,000 live births. Antenatal care utilization is a key intervention to reduce these deaths through problem detection and treatment, promotion of health seeking behavior, and preparing pregnant […]

Women’s autonomy in household decision-making and safer sex negotiation in sub-Saharan Africa: An analysis of data from 27 Demographic and Health Surveys

Women’s ability to negotiate the conditions and timing of sex is key to several reproductive health outcomes including family planning and prevention of sexually transmitted infections. We investigated the association between women’s autonomy in household decision-making and safer sex negotiation (SSN) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This was a cross-sectional analysis of data from the Demographic […]

Health facility delivery in sub-Saharan Africa: Successes, challenges, and implications for the 2030 development agenda

Background: Sub-Saharan Africa remains one of the regions with modest health outcomes; and evidenced by high maternal mortality ratios and under-5 mortality rates. There are complications that occur during and following pregnancy and childbirth that can contribute to maternal deaths; most of which are preventable or treatable. Evidence shows that early and regular attendance of […]

Individual- And Community-Level Determinants for Complete Vaccination among Children Aged 12-23 Months in Ethiopia: A Multilevel Analysis

Background. Childhood vaccination continues to increase dramatically. In spite of the success of immunization programs to date, millions of children continued to die each year, and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) accounted for the world’s highest neonatal deaths. Childhood vaccination was designed as one of the most effective ways to reduce child mortalities from fatal vaccine-preventable diseases. […]