Maintaining Continuity of Care for Expectant Mothers in Kenya During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study of MomCare
In Kenya, early coronavirus disease (COVID-19) modeling studies predicted that disruptions in antenatal care and hospital services could increase indirect maternal and neonatal deaths and stillbirths. As the Kenyan government enforced lockdowns and a curfew, many mothers-to-be were unable to safely reach hospital facilities, especially at night. Fear of contracting COVID-19, increasing costs of accessing […]
Cost effectiveness of option B plus for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in resource-limited countries: Evidence from Kumasi, Ghana
Background: Achieving the goal of eliminating mother-to-child HIV transmission (MTCT) necessitates increased access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV-infected pregnant women. Option B provides ART through pregnancy and breastfeeding, whereas Option B+ recommends continuous ART regardless of CD4 count, thus potentially reducing MTCT during future pregnancies. Our objective was to compare maternal and pediatric health […]
Association between Wood and Other Biomass Fuels and Risk of Low Birthweight in Uganda: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of 2016 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey Data
In utero exposure to household air pollution (HAP) from polluting cooking fuels has been linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes including low birthweight (LBW). No previous study in Uganda has attempted to investigate the association between the different types of biomass cooking fuels and LBW. This study was conducted to investigate the association between wood and […]
Decomposing the educational inequalities in the factors associated with severe acute malnutrition among under-five children in low- And middle-income countries
Background: Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC) have remained plagued with the burden of severe acute malnutrition (SAM). The decomposition of the educational inequalities in SAM across individual, household and neighbourhood characteristics in LMIC has not been explored. This study aims to decompose educational-related inequalities in the development of SAM among under-five children in LMIC and […]
Uptake of postnatal care and its determinants in Ethiopia: a positive deviance approach
Background: Postnatal care (PNC) services are an essential intervention for improving maternal and child health. In Ethiopia, PNC service has been poorly implemented, despite the governments and partners’ attempt to improve maternal and child health service utilization. Moreover, many literatures identified that women with no education are significantly underutilized the PNC services. Thus, this study […]
Uptake of routine vitamin A supplementation for children in Humbo district, southern Ethiopia: Community-based cross-sectional study
Background: In low-and middle-income countries routine vitamin A supplementation (VAS) is a key strategy for reducing vitamin A deficiency and mortality and morbidity of preschool children. However, in Ethiopia, there is paucity of evidence regarding the level and determinants of the uptake of the supplement. This study was designed to assess the coverage and predictors […]
Two decades of regional trends in vaccination completion and coverage among children aged 12-23 months: an analysis of the Uganda Demographic Health Survey data from 1995 to 2016
Background: Childhood vaccination is an important public health intervention but there is limited information on coverage, trends, and determinants of vaccination completion in Uganda at the regional level. We examined trends in regional vaccination coverage and established the determinants of vaccination completion among children aged 12-23 months in Uganda. Methods: We analyzed data from the […]
Perinatal death in Northern Uganda: incidence and risk factors in a community-based prospective cohort study
Background: Perinatal mortality in Uganda remains high at 38 deaths/1,000 births, an estimate greater than the every newborn action plan (ENAP) target of ≤24/1,000 births by 2030. To improve perinatal survival, there is a need to understand the persisting risk factors for death. Objective: We determined the incidence, risk factors, and causes of perinatal death […]
Maternal and fetal outcomes of pregnancies complicated by acute hepatitis E and the impact of HIV status: A cross-sectional study in Namibia
Background & Aims: Namibia has been suffering from an outbreak of hepatitis E genotype 2 since 2017. As nearly half of hepatitis E-related deaths were among pregnant and postpartum women, we analysed maternal and fetal outcomes of pregnancies complicated by acute hepatitis E and assessed whether HIV-status impacted on outcome. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study […]
Compliance to prenatal iron and folic acid supplement use in relation to low birth weight in lilongwe, Malawi
Prenatal iron and folic acid (IFA) supplements are offered free to all pregnant women in Malawi to reduce maternal anemia and improve birth outcomes. We investigated the association between self-reported compliance to IFA intake and risk of low birth weight (LBW). Pregnant women who attended Bwaila Maternity Wing of Lilongwe District Hospital for delivery were […]
