Equity in maternal health outcomes in a middle-income urban setting: A cohort study

Background: Low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with more adverse perinatal health outcomes, risk factors and lower access to and use of maternal health care services. However, evidence for the association between SES and maternal health outcomes is limited, particularly for middle-income countries like sub-Saharan Ghana. We assessed the association between parental SES and adverse […]

Factors associated with postpartum hemorrhage maternal death in referral hospitals in Senegal and Mali: A cross-sectional epidemiological survey

Background: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal mortality in Sub-Saharan-Africa (SSA). Although clinical guidelines treating PPH are available, their implementation remains a great challenge in resource poor settings. A better understanding of the factors associated with PPH maternal mortality is critical for preventing risk of hospital-based maternal death. The purpose of this […]

Association between maternal age at childbirth and child and adult outcomes in the offspring: A prospective study in five low-income and middle-income countries (COHORTS collaboration)

Background: Both young and advanced maternal age is associated with adverse birth and child outcomes. Few studies have examined these associations in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) and none have studied adult outcomes in the offspring. We aimed to examine both child and adult outcomes in five LMICs. Methods: In this prospective study, we pooled […]

A socio-ecological approach to understanding the factors influencing the uptake of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) in South-Western Nigeria

Malaria in pregnancy (MiP) remains a key cause of poor maternal and neonatal health outcomes, particularly in the African region. Two strategies globally promoted to address MiP require pregnant women in malaria-endemic regions to sleep under insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) and take at least three doses of intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp) during pregnancy. Yet, several […]

Delays in accessing antenatal care services in a developing nation tertiary health center

Background: Delay in seeking medical care is common and constitutes a major unresolved public health problem. It could contribute immensely to maternal mortality, especially in developing countries, where access and availability of functional health-care facility have remained a challenge. Objective: This study aimed at identifying the forms of delays encountered by pregnant women seeking antenatal […]

Maternal mortality decline in Zimbabwe, 2007/2008 to 2018/2019: findings from mortality surveys using civil registration, vital statistics and health system data

Background Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.1 target is to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) to less than 70 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births by 2030. In the Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality strategy, a supplementary target was added, that no country has an MMR above 140 by 2030. We conducted two cross-sectional […]

Antenatal care satisfaction in a developing country: A cross-sectional study from Nigeria

Background: Utilization of Antenatal Care (ANC) is very low in Nigeria. Self-reported patient satisfaction may be useful to identify provider- and facility-specific factors that can be improved to increase ANC satisfaction and utilization. Methods: Exit interview data collected from ANC users and facility assessment survey data from 534 systematically selected facilities in four northern Nigerian […]

Implementation of a community transport strategy to reduce delays in seeking obstetric care in rural Mozambique

Introduction: Delays due to long distances to health facilities, poor road infrastructure, and lack of affordable transport options contribute to the burden of maternal deaths in Mozambique. This study aimed to assess the implementation and uptake of an innovative community-based transport program to improve access to emergency obstetric care in southern Mozambique. Methods: From April […]

Methods to measure potential spatial access to delivery care in low- and middle-income countries: A case study in rural Ghana

Background: Access to skilled attendance at childbirth is crucial to reduce maternal and newborn mortality. Several different measures of geographic access are used concurrently in public health research, with the assumption that sophisticated methods are generally better. Most of the evidence for this assumption comes from methodological comparisons in high-income countries. We compare different measures […]

Examining the implementation of the Linda Mama free maternity program in Kenya

Background: In 2013, Kenya introduced a free maternity policy in all public healthcare facilities. In 2016, the Ministry of Health shifted responsibility for the program, now called Linda Mama, to the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) and expanded access beyond public sector. This study aimed to examine the implementation of the Linda Mama program. Methods: […]