What will it take to eliminate pediatric HIV? Reaching WHO target rates of mother-to-child HIV transmission in zimbabwe: A model-based analysis
Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for the “virtual elimination” of pediatric HIV: a mother-to-child HIV transmission (MTCT) risk of less than 5%. We investigated uptake of prevention of MTCT (PMTCT) services, infant feeding recommendations, and specific drug regimens necessary to achieve this goal in Zimbabwe. Methods and Findings: We used a computer […]
Determinants of maternal health services utilization in urban settings of the Democratic Republic of Congo – A Case study of Lubumbashi City
Background: The use of maternal health services, known as an indirect indicator of perinatal death, is still unknown in Lubumbashi. The present study was therefore undertaken in order to determine the factors that influence the use of mother and child healthcare services in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo.Methods: This was transversal study of women […]
The prevalence of abnormal Doppler’s of the umbilical artery in a low-risk pregnant population in South Africa
Background: The assessment of fetal blood flow using Doppler waveform can be used to identify placental insufficiency, and hence is a tool to identify fetuses at risk of stillbirth due to fetal growth restriction (FGR). In South Africa the largest category of perinatal deaths is ‘unexplained intrauterine death’. The majority of the mothers are clinically […]
Estimating the pattern of causes of death in Papua New Guinea
Background: Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a diverse country with high mortality and evidence of increased prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), but there is no reliable cause of death (COD) data because civil registration is insufficient and routine health data comprise only a small proportion of deaths. This study aims to estimate cause-specific mortality fractions […]
Household relationships and healthcare seeking behaviour for common childhood illnesses in sub-Saharan Africa: A cross-national mixed effects analysis
Background: Intra-household dynamics play crucial roles in utilisation of healthcare services for children. We investigated the influence of household relationships on healthcare seeking behaviour for common childhood illnesses in four sub-Sahara African regions. Methods: Data on 247,061 under-five children were extracted from recent Demographic and Health Surveys conducted between 2012 and 2016 in 25 countries. […]
Association between prenatal provision of lipid-based nutrient supplements and caesarean delivery: Findings from a randomised controlled trial in Malawi
In populations with a high prevalence of childhood and adolescent undernutrition, supplementation during pregnancy aiming at improving maternal nutritional status and preventing fetal growth restriction might theoretically lead to cephalopelvic disproportion and delivery complications. We investigated whether the prenatal provision of small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) was associated with an increased risk of caesarean section […]
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and perinatal health service utilisation and outcomes in Mozambique: an interrupted time series analysis
Objectives To measure the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and perinatal health services and outcomes in Mozambique. Design This is an observational study analysing routine service delivery data using interrupted time series analysis. We used 43 months of district-level panel data with April 2020 as the point of interruption, adjusting for seasonality and […]
Epidemiology of pre-existing multimorbidity in pregnant women in the UK in 2018: a population-based cross-sectional study
Background: Although maternal death is rare in the United Kingdom, 90% of these women had multiple health/social problems. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of pre-existing multimorbidity (two or more long-term physical or mental health conditions) in pregnant women in the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland). Study design: Pregnant women aged […]
Gender equity and sexual and reproductive health in Eastern and Southern Africa: A critical overview of the literature
Background: Gender inequalities are important social determinants of health. We set out to critically review the literature relating to gender equity and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in Eastern and Southern Africa with the aim of identifying priorities for action. Design: During November 2011, we identified studies relating to SRH and gender equity through a […]
Exploring factors influencing practice of neonatal resuscitation with bag and mask in Ethiopia: Analysis from 2016 national emergency obstetric and newborn care survey
Background: Globally, more than 7 million children die under the age of five and the highest proportion of death is during the first 28 days of life. For babies who do not breathe at birth, neonatal resuscitation is critical in reducing intra-partum related neonatal deaths by 30%. Yet, there is a dearth of studies on […]
