Improving health care facility birth rates in Rorya District, Tanzania: a multiple baseline trial

Background: Rates of maternal mortality and morbidity in Africa remain unacceptably high, as many women deliver at home, without access to skilled birth attendants and life-saving medications. In rural Tanzania, women face significant barriers accessing health care facilities for their deliveries. Methods: From January 2017 to February 2019 we conducted a multiple baseline (interrupted time […]

Adolescent girls, a forgotten population in resource-limited settings in the COVID-19 pandemic: implications for sexual and reproductive health outcomes

Adolescent sexual and reproductive health is an essential aspect that may be forgotten in the COVID-19 pandemic. Valuable insights gained from previous humanitarian crises indicate undesirable short and long-term adolescent maternal consequences in low resource settings. Young girls are at a higher risk of dropping out of school and being forced into early child marriages […]

Scaling up early infant diagnosis of HIV in Rwanda, 2008-2010

More than 390 000 children are newly infected with HIV each year, only 28 per cent of whom benefit from early infant diagnosis (EID). Rwanda’s Ministry of Health identified several major challenges hindering EID scale-up in care of HIV-positive infants. It found poor counseling and follow-up by caregivers of HIV-exposed infants, lack of coordination with […]

Household energy insecurity: dimensions and consequences for women, infants and children in low- and middle-income countries

Energy insecurity, the lack of access to adequate, affordable, reliable, acceptable, and clean sources of energy for a healthy and sustainable livelihood, poses a challenge to several households. However, the conceptualization of its dimensions and role in the health outcomes of women, infants, and children in most sub-Saharan African countries have rarely been investigated systematically. […]

Observed trends in the magnitude of socioeconomic and area-based inequalities in use of caesarean section in Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study

Background: In Ethiopia, there is a paucity of studies on inequality in caesarean section using methodologically rigorous and well-established approaches. In this study, we showed extent and the overtime dynamics of inequality in caesarean section in Ethiopia following rigorous methodologies. Methods: The data for analysis came from Ethiopia Demographic and Health Surveys (EDHS) conducted between […]

The developmental effects of HIV and alcohol: A comparison of gestational outcomes among babies from South African communities with high prevalence of HIV and alcohol use

Background: There is growing evidence of the negative impact of alcohol on morbidity and mortality of individuals living with HIV but limited evidence of in utero effects of HIV and alcohol on exposure on infants. Methods: We conducted a population-based birth cohort study (N=667 mother-infant dyads) in South Africa to investigate whether maternal alcohol use […]

Policymaker, health provider and community perspectives on male involvement during pregnancy in southern Mozambique: A qualitative study

Background: Increasing male involvement during pregnancy is considered an important, but often overlooked intervention for improving maternal health in sub-Saharan Africa. Intervention studies aimed at improving maternal health mostly target mothers hereby ignoring the crucial role their partners play in their ability to access antenatal care (ANC) and to prevent and treat infectious diseases like […]

Variation in maternal mortality in Sidama National Regional State, southern Ethiopia: A population based cross sectional household survey

Introduction Maternal mortality studies conducted at national level do not provide information needed for planning and monitoring health programs at lower administrative levels. The aim of this study was to measure maternal mortality, identify risk factors and district level variations in Sidama National Regional State, southern Ethiopia. Methods A cross sectional population-based survey was carried […]

Cultural beliefs and practices of women influencing home births in rural Northern Ghana

Background: One of the maternal health care strategies identified by the World Health Organization as being crucial for saving lives of pregnant women, which also serves as an indicator for progress in reducing maternal mortality, is the provision and utilization of skilled birth care. Despite the importance of skilled birth care in preventing maternal morbidity […]

Common mental disorders in mothers of children attending out-patient malnutrition clinics in rural North-western Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

Background: Children with uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition are managed routinely within out-patient malnutrition treatment programs. These programs do not offer maternal mental health support services, despite maternal mental health playing a significant role in the nutritional status of children. Additionally, the burden of maternal Common Mental Disorders (CMDs) is poorly described among mothers of children […]