Mind the Gap: What explains the education-related inequality in missed opportunities for vaccination in sub-Saharan Africa? Compositional and structural characteristics
Missed opportunities for vaccination (MOV) is an important barrier hindering full immunisation coverage among eligible children. Though factors responsible for MOV are well documented in literature, little attention has been paid to the role of inequalities. The aim of this study is to examine the association between structural or compositional factors and education inequalities in […]
Regional health disparities in Burkina Faso during the period of health care decentralization. Results of a macro-level analysis
Background: Burkina Faso has undertaken decentralization reforms in the health care sector to improve the performance of the health system. This study aimed to analyze the differences in health outcomes by health district’s demographic and economic status, and the distribution of health resources during the period of health care decentralization. Methods: A bivariate correlation analysis […]
Factors influencing deliveries at health facilities in a rural Maasai Community in Magadi sub-County, Kenya
Background: In response to poor maternal, newborn, and child health indicators in Magadi sub-county, the “Boma” model was launched to promote health facility delivery by establishing community health units and training community health volunteers (CHVs) and traditional birth attendants (TBAs) as safe motherhood promoters. As a result, health facility delivery increased from 14% to 24%, […]
Competent and deficient provision of childbirth services: a descriptive observational study assessing the quality of intrapartum care in two provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Background: A majority of women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) give birth in a health facility, but maternal and newborn mortality remains high. In rural areas, the quality of facility-based delivery care is often low. This study examines clinical quality of intrapartum care in two provinces of the DRC. Methods: We observed […]
The high burden of infant deaths in rural Burkina Faso: A prospective community-based cohort study
Background: Infant mortality rates (IMR) remain high in many sub-Saharan African countries, especially in rural settings where access to health services may be limited. Studies in such communities can provide relevant data on the burden of and risk factors for infant death. We measured IMR and explored risk factors for infant death in a cohort […]
The effect of enhanced public -private partnerships on Maternal, Newborn and child Health Services and outcomes in Nairobi-Kenya: The PAMANECH quasi-experimental research protocol
Introduction: Rapid urbanisation in Kenya has resulted in growth of slums in urban centres, characterised by poverty, inadequate social services and poor health outcomes. The government’s initiatives to improve access to quality healthcare for mothers and children are largely limited to public health facilities, which are few and/or inaccessible in underserved areas such as the […]
Health indicators of pregnant women in tonkolili district, rural sierra leone
Despite having reported one of the highest maternal mortality ratios and neonatal mortality rates in the world, surprisingly little is known about the general health status of pregnant women in rural parts of Sierra Leone. Malaria, anaemia and malnutrition are known contributors to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Although their prevalence is known to be high, the […]
Errors in estimated gestational ages reduce the likelihood of health facility deliveries: Results from an observational cohort study in Zanzibar
Background: Most maternal health programs in low- and middle- income countries estimate gestational age to provide appropriate antenatal care at the correct times throughout the pregnancy. Although various gestational dating methods have been validated in research studies, the performance of these methods has not been evaluated on a larger scale, such as within health systems. […]
The Tingathe programme: A pilot intervention using community health workers to create a continuum of care in the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) cascade of services in Malawi
Introduction: Loss to follow-up is a major challenge in the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programme in Malawi with reported loss to follow-up of greater than 70%. Tingathe-PMTCT is a pilot intervention that utilizes dedicated community health workers (CHWs) to create a complete continuum of care within the PMTCT cascade, improving […]
The influence of quality maternity waiting homes on utilization of facilities for delivery in rural Zambia
Background: Residential accommodation for expectant mothers adjacent to health facilities, known as maternity waiting homes (MWH), is an intervention designed to improve access to skilled deliveries in low-income countries like Zambia where the maternal mortality ratio is estimated at 398 deaths per 100,000 live births. Our study aimed to assess the relationship between MWH quality […]
