Longitudinal patterns of the relation between anxiety, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder among postpartum women with and without maternal morbidities in Northwest Ethiopia: a cross-lagged autoregressive structural equation modelling
Background: The postpartum period is a time where mothers can undergo significant changes that increase vulnerability for depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. However, the direct and indirect factors of depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and their direction of relationships following childbirth is not well investigated in Ethiopia. The aim of this […]
Factors associated with risk of developmental delay in preschool children in a setting with high rates of malnutrition: A cross-sectional analysis of data from the IHOPE study, Madagascar
Background: 50% of Malagasy children have moderate to severe stunting. In 2016, a new 10 year National Nutrition Action Plan (PNAN III) was initiated to help address stunting and developmental delay. We report factors associated with risk of developmental delay in 3 and 4 year olds in the rural district of Ifanadiana in southeastern Madagascar […]
The effect of birth preparedness and complication readiness on skilled care use: A prospective follow-up study in Southwest Ethiopia
Background: Skilled care during and immediately after delivery has been identified as one of the key strategies in reducing maternal mortality. However, recent estimates show that the status of skilled care during delivery remained very low in Ethiopia. Birth preparedness and complication readiness has been implemented as comprehensive strategy to fill this gap. However, its […]
Determinants and causes of neonatal mortality in jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia: A multilevel analysis of prospective follow up study
Background: Ethiopia is among the countries with the highest neonatal mortality with the rate of 37 deaths per 1000 live births. In spite of many efforts by the government and other partners, non-significant decline has been achieved in the last 15 years. Thus, identifying the determinants and causes are very crucial for policy and program […]
Who benefits from increased service utilisation? Examining the distributional effects of payment for performance in Tanzania
Background: Payment for performance (P4P) strategies, which provide financial incentives to health workers and/or facilities for reaching pre-defined performance targets, can improve healthcare utilisation and quality. P4P may also reduce inequalities in healthcare use and access by enhancing universal access to care, for example, through reducing the financial barriers to accessing care. However, P4P may […]
Economic consequences of caesarean section delivery: evidence from a household survey in Tanzania
Background: Caesarean section (C-section) delivery is an important indicator of access to life-saving essential obstetric care. Yet, there is limited understanding of the costs of utilising C-section delivery care in sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, we estimated the direct and indirect patient cost of accessing C-section in Tanzania. Methods: Cross-sectional survey data of 2012 was used, which […]
Narratives on why pregnant women delay seeking maternal health care during delivery and obstetric complications in rural Ghana
Background: Despite the many maternal healthcare policy programmes in Ghana such as free the antenatal care (ANC) and the fee-exemption policy under the National Health Insurance Scheme, among others, the country has yet to make substantial improvements in addressing low skilled care utilisation in pregnancy and delivery. From previous studies, maternal mortality has been linked […]
Factors associated with non-attendance at scheduled infant follow-up visits in an observational cohort of HIV-exposed infants in South Africa, 2012-2014
BACKGROUND: Since 2001 the South African guidelines to improve child health and prevent vertical HIV transmission recommended frequent infant follow-up with HIV testing at 18 months postpartum. We sought to understand non-attendance at scheduled follow-up study visits up to 18 months, and for the 18-month infant HIV test amongst a nationally representative sample of HIV exposed uninfected […]
Magnitude and Factors Associated with Late Initiation of Antenatal Care Booking on First Visit Among Women in Rural Parts of Ethiopia
Background: Early antenatal care visits enhance early detection and treatment of pregnancy problems, resulting in optimal delivery management. This study aimed to assess the late initiation of antenatal care visits among pregnant women in rural parts of Ethiopia. Methods: A 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey provided the data for this study and a population-based […]
Healthcare without borders: A cross-sectional study of immigrant and nonimmigrant children admitted to a large public sector hospital in the Gauteng Province of South Africa
Background Human migration is a worldwide phenomenon that receives considerable attention from the media and healthcare authorities alike. A significant proportion of children seen at public sector health facilities in South Africa (SA) are immigrants, and gaps have previously been noted in their healthcare provision. The objective of the study was to describe the characteristics […]
