Perceptions and predictors of respectful maternity care in Malawi: A quantitative cross-sectional analysis
Objective: Access to high-quality, respectful care is a basic human right. A lack of respectful care during childbirth is associated with poor outcomes and can negatively influence care-seeking and maternal mental health. We aimed to describe how women perceive their experience of maternity care in Malawi. Methods: We implemented a cross-sectional survey of women (n […]
Maternal mortality and distance to facility-based obstetric care in rural southern Tanzania: A secondary analysis of cross-sectional census data in 226 000 households
Background: Access to skilled obstetric delivery and emergency care is deemed crucial for reducing maternal mortality. We assessed pregnancy-related mortality by distance to health facilities and by cause of death in a disadvantaged rural area of southern Tanzania. Methods: We did a secondary analysis of cross-sectional georeferenced census data collected from June to October, 2007, […]
Effects of a participatory community quality improvement strategy on improving household and provider health care behaviors and practices: A propensity score analysis
Background: Maternal and newborn health care intervention coverage has increased in many low-income countries over the last decade, yet poor quality of care remains a challenge, limiting health gains. The World Health Organization envisions community engagement as a critical component of health care delivery systems to ensure quality services, responsive to community needs. Aligned with […]
Effectiveness of adjunct telephone-based postnatal care on maternal and infant illness in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana: a randomized controlled trial
Introduction: Globally, postnatal care (PNC) is fraught with challenges. Despite high PNC coverages in Ghana’s Greater Accra Region (GAR), maternal and newborn health outcomes are of great concern. In 2017, neonatal and post-neonatal mortality rates in GAR were 19 and 13 per 1000 live births respectively despite PNC coverages of 93% for at least one […]
Implementing the skilled birth attendance strategy in Uganda: A policy analysis
Background: Uganda, a low resource country, implemented the skilled attendance at birth strategy, to meet a key target of the 5th Millenium Development Goal (MDG), 75% reduction in maternal mortality ratio. Maternal mortality rates remained high, despite the improvement in facility delivery rates. In this paper, we analyse the strategies implemented and bottlenecks experienced as […]
A mobile health wallet for pregnancy-related health care in madagascar: mixed-methods study on opportunities and challenges
Background: Mobile savings and payment systems have been widely adopted to store money and pay for a variety of services, including health care. However, the possible implications of these technologies on financing and payment for maternal health care services—which commonly require large 1-time out-of-pocket payments—have not yet been systematically assessed in low-resource settings. Objective: The […]
The association between women’s empowerment and reproductive health care utilization in Cameroon
Background: The context related to maternal mortality has improved over the past decade in Cameroon. However, the demand for reproductive health care use remains insufficient with regard to public health policy targets, and women’s empowerment is identified as a catalyst with a great potential. Objective: This study aims to analyse the association between the dimensions […]
Assessing predictors of delayed antenatal care visits in Rwanda: A secondary analysis of Rwanda demographic and health survey 2010
Background: Early initiation of antenatal care (ANC) can reduce common maternal complications and maternal and perinatal mortality. Though Rwanda demonstrated a remarkable decline in maternal mortality and 98% of Rwandan women receive antenatal care from a skilled provider, only 38% of women have an ANC visit in their first three months of pregnancy. This study […]
Determinants of maternal death in a pastoralist area of borena zone, oromia region, Ethiopia: Unmatched case-control study
Background. Globally, more than 830 maternal deaths happen daily, and nearly, all of these occur in developing countries. Similarly, in Ethiopia, maternal mortality is still very high. Studies done in pastoralist women are almost few. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the determinant factors of maternal death in the pastoralist area of […]
Impact of AQUASOU: A practice-based research programme at the Rufisque Health Centre, Senegal
Introduction: Due to the inadequacy of preventive strategies to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality, the current priority concerns emergency obstetric and neonatal care, as defined in the Improvement of the Quality and Access to Emergency Obstetric Healthcare programme (AQUASOU). The objective of this study was to assess the impact of the AQUASOU programme on improved […]
