Process Evaluation of Maternal, Child Health and Nutrition Improvement Project (MCHNP) in the Eastern Region of Ghana: A Case Study of Selected Districts

Background. Maternal, Child Health and Nutrition improvement Project is a World Bank-funded project implemented in all then ten regions of Ghana, which aims at improving access and utilization of community-based maternal, child health, and nutrition services in order to accelerate progress. This study is aimed at determining the implementation status of the project in the […]

The Risk of Orofacial Cleft Lip/Palate Due to Maternal Ambient Air Pollution Exposure: A Call for Further Research in South Africa

Background: Despite being underreported, orofacial cleft lip/palate (CLP) remains in the top five of South Africa’s most common congenital disorders. Maternal air pollution exposure has been associated with CLP in neonates. South Africa has high air pollution levels due to domestic burning practices, coal-fired power plants, mining, industry, and traffic pollution, among other sources. We […]

A protocol for an observational cohort study of heat strain and its effect on fetal wellbeing in pregnant farmers in The Gambia

Introduction: Climate change predictions indicate that global temperatures are likely to exceed those seen in the last 200,000 years, rising by around 4°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100 (without effective mitigation of current emission rates). In regions of the world set to experience extreme temperatures, women often work outside in agriculture even during pregnancy. The […]

‘If he sees it with his own eyes, he will understand’: How gender informed the content and delivery of a maternal nutrition intervention in Burkina Faso

A growing body of literature urges policymakers, practitioners and scientists to consider gender in the design and evaluation of health interventions. We report findings from formative research to develop and refine an mHealth maternal nutrition intervention in Nouna, Burkina Faso, one of the world’s most resource-poor settings. Gender was not an initial research focus, but […]

A novel intervention combining supplementary food and infection control measures to improve birth outcomes in undernourished pregnant women in Sierra Leone: A randomized, controlled clinical effectiveness trial

Background Innovations for undernourished pregnant women that improve : newborn survival and anthropometry are needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 3. This study tested the hypothesis that a combination of a nutritious supplementary food and several proven chemotherapeutic interventions to control common infections would increase newborn weight and length in undernourished pregnant […]

Health care providers’ knowledge of clinical protocols for postpartum hemorrhage care in Kenya: a cross-sectional study

Background: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) remains the leading cause of maternal death worldwide despite its often-preventable nature. Understanding health care providers’ knowledge of clinical protocols is imperative for improving quality of care and reducing mortality. This is especially pertinent in referral and teaching hospitals that train nursing and medical students and interns in addition to managing […]

Effectiveness of sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine for intermittent preventive treatment of malaria and adverse birth outcomes in pregnant women

Effectiveness of intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy with sulfadoxine– pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) for prevention of malaria and adverse birth outcomes can be compromised by parasites-resistance to sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine. This study prospectively evaluated the effectiveness of IPTp-SP in Southeast Tanzania. From January 2017 to May 2019, HIV-negative and malaria-negative (mRDT) pregnant women attending their first antenatal-care visit in […]

Does exposure to health information through mobile phones increase immunisation knowledge, completeness and timeliness in rural India?

Introduction Immunisation plays a vital role in reducing child mortality and morbidity against preventable diseases. As part of a randomised controlled trial in rural Madhya Pradesh, India to assess the impact of Kilkari, a maternal messaging programme, we explored determinants of parental immunisation knowledge and immunisation practice (completeness and timeliness) for children 0-12 months of […]

Optimizing knowledge and behavioral intention of women and their partners in the perinatal period in South Africa: a randomized control trial study protocol in the Tshwane district, Gauteng province, South Africa

Background: Maternal knowledge that motivates improvements in critical perinatal health behaviors has the potential to significantly reduce maternal and neonatal mortality. However, evidence-based health information often fails to reach mothers and their partners. mHealth video micro-messages, which disseminate evidence-based perinatal health messages, have the potential to address this gap. Methods: The study will make use […]

Drivers of food consumption among overweight mother-child dyads in Malawi

To address the increase in overweight and obesity among mothers and children in sub- Saharan Africa, an understanding of the factors that drive their food consumption is needed. We hypothesized food consumption in Malawi is driven by a combination of factors, including season, food accessibility (area of residence, convenience of purchasing food, female autonomy), food […]