Effectiveness of malaria control interventions in Madagascar: A nationwide case-control survey
Background: Madagascar, as other malaria endemic countries, depends mainly on international funding for the implementation of malaria control interventions (MCI). As these funds no longer increase, policy makers need to know whether these MCI actually provide the expected protection. This study aimed at measuring the effectiveness of MCI deployed in all transmission patterns of Madagascar […]
Parental concerns and uptake of childhood vaccines in rural Tanzania – a mixed methods study
Background: Vaccine hesitancy has been recognized as an important barrier to timely vaccinations around the world, including in sub-Saharan Africa. In Tanzania, 1 in 4 children is not fully vaccinated. The objective of this mixed methods study was to describe and contextualize parental concerns towards vaccines in Tanzania. Methods: Between 2016 and 2017, we conducted […]
A qualitative study on perceptions of surgical careers in Rwanda: A gender-based approach
Access to surgical care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remains deficient without an adequate workforce. There is limited understanding of the gender gap in surgical trainees in LMICs. In Rwanda, females fill only one of 20 positions available. Understanding surgeons’ experiences and perceptions of surgical careers may help facilitate support for females to contribute […]
Unmet need for family planning and associated factors among currently married women of reproductive age in Bishoftu town, Eastern Ethiopia
BACKGROUND: Unmet family planning is one of the common causes for low contraceptive prevalence rates in developing countries, including Ethiopia. Rapid urbanization had profound effect on population health, however, little is known about the unmet need of family planning in settings where there was increased industrializations and internal migrations in Ethiopia. This study aims to […]
How Zambia reduced inequalities in under-five mortality rates over the last two decades: a mixed-methods study
Background: Zambia experienced a major decline in under-five mortality rates (U5MR), with one of the fastest declines in socio-economic disparities in sub-Saharan Africa in the last two decades. We aimed to understand the extent to which, and how, Zambia has reduced socio-economic inequalities in U5MR since 2000. Methods: Using nationally-representative data from Zambia Demographic Health […]
Trends of inequalities in childhood immunization coverage among children aged 12-23 months in Kenya, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire
Background: Immunization is one of the most cost-effective health intervention to halt the spread of childhood diseases, and improve child health. Yet, there is a substantial disparity in childhood immunization coverage. The overall objective of the study is to investigate the trends of within-country inequalities in childhood immunization coverage among children aged 12-23 months in […]
Depression during pregnancy and the postpartum among HIV-infected women on antiretroviral therapy in Uganda
Background: Among HIV-infected women, perinatal depression compromises clinical, maternal, and child health outcomes. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is associated with lower depression symptom severity but the uniformity of effect through pregnancy and postpartum periods is unknown. Uganda is an important setting in which to investigate depression over perinatal periods given a total fertility rate of 6.2 […]
Working with what you have: How the East Africa Preterm Birth Initiative used gestational age data from facility maternity registers
Objective Preterm birth is the primary driver of neonatal mortality worldwide, but it is defined by gestational age (GA) which is challenging to accurately assess in low-resource settings. In a commitment to reducing preterm birth while reinforcing and strengthening facility data sources, the East Africa Preterm Birth Initiative (PTBi-EA) chose eligibility criteria that combined GA […]
Antiretroviral therapy use during pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes in South African women
Background: Studies of antiretroviral therapy (ART) use during pregnancy in HIVinfected women have suggested that ART exposure may be associated with adverse birth outcomes. However, there are few data from sub-Saharan Africa where HIV is most common, and few studies involving the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) recommended first-line regimens. Methods: We enrolled consecutive HIV-infected pregnant […]
‘We allwork together to vaccinate the child’: A formative evaluation of a community-engagement strategy aimed at closing the immunization gap in North-West Ethiopia
The role of community engagement (CE) in improving demand for immunization merits investigation. The International Rescue Committee developed a CE strategy to implement a vaccine defaulter-tracing tool and a color-coded health calendar aimed at increasing uptake of immunization services in north-west Ethiopia (‘The Fifth Child Project’). We report findings from a formative evaluation of this […]
