Managing intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy challenges: An ethnographic study of two Ghanaian administrative regions
Background: Malaria in pregnancy (MiP) is an important public health problem across sub-Saharan Africa. The package of measures for its control in Ghana in the last 20 years include regular use of long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets (LLINs), directly-observed administration (DOT) of intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) and prompt and effective case management of MiP. […]
Effectiveness of upgraded maternity waiting homes and local leader training on improving institutional births: a cluster-randomized controlled trial in Jimma, Ethiopia
Background: Maternity waiting homes (MWHs), residential spaces for pregnant women close to obstetric care facilities, are being used to tackle physical barriers to access. However, their effectiveness has not been rigorously assessed. The objective of this cluster randomized trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of functional MWHs combined with community mobilization by trained local leaders […]
The benefits of family planning (FP) use in Benin: An application of the Demographic Dividend Model (DemDiv)
Background: Despite the increasing interest in improving access to and utilization of family planning (FP) methods, contraceptives prevalence rates remain low in Benin, and its benefits are not well studied. This study projected FP’s benefits for maternal health and child survival over the Sustainable Development Goals period. Methods: The Demographic Dividend Model created by the […]
Health care providers’ perceptions of barriers to perinatal mental healthcare in South Africa
Background: Perinatal mental disorders are a leading contributor to morbidity and mortality during pregnancy and postpartum, and are highly treatable when identified early. However, many women, especially in low and middle-income countries, lack access to routine identification and treatment of mental illness in public health settings. The prevalence of perinatal depression and anxiety disorders, common […]
Evaluating the effect of maternal mHealth text messages on uptake of maternal and child health care services in South Africa: a multicentre cohort intervention study
Background: There are high expectations that mobile health (mHealth) strategies will increase uptake of health care services, especially in resource strained settings. Our study aimed to evaluate effects of an mHealth intervention on uptake of maternal health services. Methods: This was an intervention cohort study conducted at six public antenatal and postnatal care clinics in […]
Multiple anthropometric and nutritional deficiencies in young children in Ethiopia: a multi-level analysis based on a nationally representative data
Background: In Ethiopia, child undernutrition and anemia are major public health concerns, resulting in increased childhood morbidity and mortality. Despite progress made to reduce the prevalence of malnutrition (especially stunting) from 50% in 2000 to 38% in 2016, little is known about the magnitude and risk factors for concurrent nutritional deficiencies in Ethiopia. Methods: Analysis […]
Improving access to emergency obstetric care in underserved rural Tanzania: a prospective cohort study
Background: One of the key strategies to reducing maternal mortality is provision of emergency obstetric care services. This paper describes the results of improving availability of, and access to emergency obstetric care services in underserved rural Tanzania using associate clinicians. Methods: A prospective cohort study of emergency obstetric care was implemented in seven health centres […]
Pregnancy outcomes and blood pressure visit-to-visit variability and level in three less-developed countries
In pregnancy in well-resourced settings, limited data suggest that higher blood pressure (BP) visit-to-visit variability may be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Included were pregnant women in 22 intervention clusters of the CLIP (Community- Level Interventions for Preeclampsia) cluster randomized trials, who had received at least 2 prenatal contacts from a community health worker, including […]
Factors associated with the access and continuum of vaccination services among children aged 12-23 months in the emerging regions of Ethiopia: Evidence from the 2016 Ethiopian demography and health survey
Background: Child vaccination is an instrument for saving millions of lives. Only one in twenty children has access to childhood vaccination in hard to reach areas in developing countries. Although studies have been done on childhood vaccination, factors associated with access and continuum were not considered in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the […]
Determinants of stunting among children aged 6 to 59 months in pastoral community, Afar region, North East Ethiopia: Unmatched case control study
Background: Stunting is defined as a child with a height for-age Z-score less than minus two standard deviations. Globally, 162 million less than 5 years were stunted. In Ethiopia, Nationally the prevalence of stunting among under five children was 38.4% and in Afar it is above the national average (41.1%). This study was aimed to […]
