The use of a speaking book® to enhance vaccine knowledge among caregivers in the Gambia: A study using qualitative and quantitative methods
Objectives To measure the usefulness of a Speaking Book (SB) as an educational tool for enhancing knowledge, understanding and recall of key vaccine-related information among caregivers in The Gambia, as well as its acceptability and relevance as a health promotion tool for caregivers and healthcare workers. Design and setting We developed a multimedia educational tool, […]
Postpartum Green Star family planning decision aid for pregnant adolescents in Tanzania: a qualitative feasibility study
Background: The use of a decision aid in clinical settings has been beneficial. It informs and educates patients about the available treatment options that can help them reduce decision-making conflicts related to feeling uninformed compared with routine care. There is a scarcity of published data about using a decision aid during family planning counseling with […]
Understanding patterns of family support and its role on viral load suppression among youth living with HIV aged 15 to 24 years in southwestern Uganda
Background: Active family support helps as a buffer against adverse life events associated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) uptake and adherence. There is limited data available to explain how family support shapes and affects individual healthcare choices, decisions, experiences, and health outcomes among youth living with HIV (YLWH). We aimed to describe family support patterns and […]
“We All Join Hands”: Perceptions of the Kangaroo Method Among Female Relatives of Newborns in The Gambia
Family support is essential for kangaroo mother care (KMC), but there is limited research regarding perceptions of female relatives, and none published from West African contexts. In-depth interviews were conducted from July to August 2017 with a purposive sample of 11 female relatives of preterm neonates admitted to The Gambia’s referral hospital. Data were coded […]
ALIMUS—We are feeding! Study protocol of a multi-center, cluster-randomized controlled trial on the effects of a home garden and nutrition counseling intervention to reduce child undernutrition in rural Burkina Faso and Kenya
Background: Climate change heavily affects child nutritional status in sub-Saharan Africa. Agricultural and dietary diversification are promising tools to balance agricultural yield losses and nutrient deficits in crops. However, rigorous impact evaluation of such adaptation strategies is lacking. This project will determine the potential of an integrated home gardening and nutrition counseling program as one […]
Medical, behavioural and social preconception and interconception risk factors among pregnancy planning and recently pregnant Canadian women
Objectives The objective of this study is to describe the clustering of medical, behavioural and social preconception and interconception health risk factors and determine demographic factors associated with these risk clusters among Canadian women. Design Cross-sectional data were collected via an online questionnaire assessing a range of preconception risk factors. Prevalence of each risk factor […]
How women are treated during facility-based childbirth in four countries: a cross-sectional study with labour observations and community-based surveys
Background: Women across the world are mistreated during childbirth. We aimed to develop and implement evidence-informed, validated tools to measure mistreatment during childbirth, and report results from a cross-sectional study in four low-income and middle-income countries. Methods: We prospectively recruited women aged at least 15 years in twelve health facilities (three per country) in Ghana, […]
Individual-level drivers of dietary behaviour in adolescents and women through the reproductive life course in urban Ghana: A Photovoice study
Evidence on the individual-level drivers of dietary behaviours in deprived urban contexts in Africa is limited. Understanding how to best inform the development and delivery of interventions to promote healthy dietary behaviours is needed. As noncommunicable diseases account for over 40% of deaths in Ghana, the country has reached an advanced stage of nutrition transition. […]
A mixed-methods study of factors influencing postpartum intrauterine device uptake after family planning counseling among women in Kigali, Rwanda
Introduction Rwanda has high unmet need for family planning (FP), especially in the postpartum period when women are advised to space pregnancies at least two years for improved maternal-child health. Despite interest in the copper intrauterine device (IUD), a highly cost-effective method, access and uptake remain low. This study aimed to determine factors associated with […]
Exploring communities’ perceptions of the etiology of illnesses in newborns and young infants 0–59 days old in 4 counties in Kenya
Background Understanding communities’ beliefs about the causes of illnesses in sick young infants (SYIs) is key to strengthening interventions and improving newborn health outcomes. This study explored communities’ perception of the etiology of illnesses in SYIs 0–59 days old in four counties in Kenya. Methods We used an exploratory qualitative study design. Data were collected […]
