Cognitive variations following exposure to childhood adversity: Evidence from a pre-registered, longitudinal study

Background: Different methodological approaches to studying the effects and timing of childhood adversity have been proposed and tested. While childhood adversity has primarily been operationalized through specificity (effects of individual adversity types) and cumulative risk (sum of all adversities reported by an individual) models, dimensional models (probeable through latent class and other cluster analyses) have […]

Plasma Choline Concentration Was Not Increased after a 6-Month Egg Intervention in 6-9-Month-Old Malawian Children: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Eggs are a rich source of choline, an essential nutrient important for child growth and development. In a randomized trial of 1 egg/d in young children in Ecuador, an egg intervention led to significant improvements in growth, which were partially mediated by increased plasma choline concentration. A similar trial in Malawi (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03385252) found […]

Key factors influencing motivation among health extension workers and health care professionals in four regions of Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study

Background Although Ethiopia has improved access to health care in recent years, quality of care remains low. Health worker motivation is an important determinant of performance and affects quality of care. Low health care workers motivation can be associated with poor health care quality and client experience, non-attendance, and poor clinical outcome. Objective this study […]

Community food beliefs during pregnancy in rural kebeles of Ofla Woreda, Northern Ethiopia: an explorative qualitative study

Background: Dietary related misconceptions during pregnancy affect the heath of mothers and their growing babies. Misconceptions vary from place to place and from community to community. Understanding of a given community’s food perceptions during pregnancy helps policy makers able to design cultural appropriate interventions. In Ethiopia, however, evidences on food beliefs and perceptions during pregnancy […]

A qualitative exploration of community ownership of a maternity waiting home model in rural zambia

Context: Ownership is an important construct of sustainability for community-based health programming, though it is often not clearly defined or measured. We implemented and evaluated a community-driven maternity waiting home (MWH) model in rural Zambia. We engaged stakeholders at all levels and provided intensive mentorship to an MWH governance committee comprised of community-selected members. We […]

Socio-cultural and economic barriers, and facilitators influencing men’s involvement in antenatal care including HIV testing: a qualitative study from urban Blantyre, Malawi

Background: Male partner involvement in antenatal care (ANC) is associated with positive maternal and neonatal outcomes. However, only a handful of men attend ANC with their partners. This study aimed to understand the underlying barriers and facilitators influencing men’s ANC attendance including HIV testing in Blantyre, Malawi. Methods: Data were collected during a formative qualitative […]

Knowledge translation in Uganda: A qualitative study of Ugandan midwives’ and managers’ perceived relevance of the sub-elements of the context cornerstone in the PARIHS framework

Background: A large proportion of the annual 3.3 million neonatal deaths could be averted if there was a high uptake of basic evidence-based practices. In order to overcome this ‘know-do’ gap, there is an urgent need for in-depth understanding of knowledge translation (KT). A major factor to consider in the successful translation of knowledge into […]

Improving the effectiveness of point of care tests for malaria and anaemia: A qualitative study across three Ghanaian antenatal clinics

Background: Anaemia and malaria are both major contributors to maternal and child mortality, and morbidity, with some of the worst outcomes occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. Point of care tests (POCT), if used appropriately, provide a simple, inexpensive form of diagnostic testing, as a reliable alternative when laboratory tests are not readily available. In such resource […]

Linkage to care, mobility and retention of HIV-positive postpartum women in antiretroviral therapy services in South Africa

Introduction: Linkage to care and mobility postpartum present challenges to long-term retention after initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) in pregnancy, but there are few insights from sub-Saharan Africa. We aimed to describe postpartum linkage to care, mobility, retention and viral suppression after ART initiation in pregnancy. Methods: Using routine electronic data we assessed HIV-specific health contacts […]

How do diverse low-income and middle-income countries implement primary healthcare team integration to support the delivery of comprehensive primary health care? A mixed-methods study protocol from India, Mexico and Uganda

Introduction Attainment of universal health coverage is feasible via strengthened primary health systems that are comprehensive, accessible, people-centred, continuous and coordinated. Having an adequately trained, motivated and equipped primary healthcare workforce is central to the provision of comprehensive primary healthcare (CPHC). This study aims to understand PHC team integration, composition and organisation in the delivery […]