Prenatal care and uptake of HIV testing among pregnant women in Gambia: A cross-sectional study
Background: Improving the coverage of antenatal care is regarded as an important strategy to reduce the risks of maternal and child mortality in low income settings like Gambia. Nonetheless, a large number of countries in Africa, including Gambia, are struggling to attain an optimum level of healthcare utilization among pregnant women. The role of socioeconomic […]
Crude childhood vaccination coverage in West Africa: Trends and predictors of completeness [version 1; Referees: 1 approved, 3 approved with reservations]
Background: Africa has the lowest childhood vaccination coverage worldwide. If the full benefits of childhood vaccination programmes are to be enjoyed in sub-Saharan Africa, all countries need to improve on vaccine delivery to achieve and sustain high coverage. In this paper, we review trends in vaccination coverage, dropouts between vaccine doses and explored the country-specific […]
Community based distribution agents’ approach to provision of family planning information and services in five Nigerian states: A mirage or a reality?
Background: Reducing maternal mortality in Nigeria has received continuous attention both nationally and internationally. Objectives: This article highlights the outcome of an intervention which sought to address maternal mortality reduction through increasing contraceptive uptake in 10 rural local government areas (LGAs)in five Nigerian states. Method: The community based distribution (CBD) approach was used in the […]
The use of facilities for labor and delivery: The views of women in rural Uganda
The aim of the paper is to explore factors associated with home or hospital delivery in rural Uganda. Qualitative interviews with recently-delivered women in rural Uganda and statistical analysis of data from the 2011 Ugandan Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) to assess the association between socio-demographic and cultural factors and delivery location in multivariable regression […]
New paradigm old thinking: The case for emergency obstetric care in the prevention of maternal mortality in Nigeria
Background: The continuing burden of maternal mortality, especially in developing countries has prompted a shift in paradigm from the traditional risk assessment approach to the provision of access to emergency obstetric care services for all women who are pregnant. This study assessed the knowledge of maternity unit operatives at the primary and secondary levels of […]
Prevalence and determinants of anemia among children in zanzibar, tanzania: Analysis of cross-sectional population representative surveys
The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of anemia and its determinants among children aged 6–59 months in Zanzibar, Tanzania, from 2005 to 2015. We used secondary data from the Tanzania Demographic and Health Surveys from three different periods: 2005, 2010, and 2015. A sample of 3502 child-mother pairs from three survey […]
Local problems; Local solutions: An innovative approach to investigating and addressing causes of maternal deaths in Zambia’s Copperbelt
Background: Maternal mortality in developing countries is high and international targets for reduction are unlikely to be met. Zambia’s maternal mortality ratio was 591 per 100,000 live births according to survey data (2007) while routinely collected data captured only about 10% of these deaths. In one district in Zambia medical staff reviewed deaths occurring in […]
Geographic access to emergency obstetric services: A model incorporating patient bypassing using data from Mozambique
Introduction Targeted approaches to further reduce maternal mortality require thorough understanding of the geographic barriers that women face when seeking care. Common measures of geographic access do not account for the time needed to reach services, despite substantial evidence that links proximity with greater use of facility services. Further, methods for measuring access often ignore […]
The epidemiology of undernutrition and its determinants in children under five years in Ghana
Background Understanding the burden and contextual risk factors is critical for developing appropriate interventions to control undernutrition. Methods This study used data from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey to estimate the prevalence of underweight, stunting, and wasting. Single multiple logistic regressions were used to identify the factors associated with underweight, wasting and stunting. […]
Dietary diversity and related factors among lactating women visiting public health facilities in Aksum town, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia
Background: Dietary diversity is a proxy indicator of maternal nutrient adequacy. However, little is documented on dietary diversity among lactating mothers. Therefore, this study assessed diet diversity and associated factors among lactating mothers visiting public health facilities in Aksum town, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. Methods: An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted on 346 randomly selected […]
