How did rapid scale-up of HIV services impact on workplace and interpersonal trust in Zambian primary health centres: A case-based health systems analysis
Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, large amounts of funding continue to be directed towards HIV-specific care and treatment, often with claims of ‘health system strengthening’ effect. Such claims rarely account for the impact on human relationships and decisions that are core to functional health systems. This research examined how establishment of externally funded HIV services influenced […]
Less than one-fifth of the mothers practised exclusive breastfeeding in the emerging regions of Ethiopia: a multilevel analysis of the 2016 Ethiopian demographic and health survey
Background: The burden of low coverage of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) has a significant impact on the health of a newborn and also on the family and social economy in the long term. Even though the prevalence of EBF practices in Ethiopia is low, the practices in the pastoral communities, in particular, are significantly low and […]
Women who have not utilized health Service for Delivery in Nigeria: Who are they and where do they live?
Background: Health facility delivery has been described as one of the major contributors to improved maternal and child health outcomes. In sub-Saharan Africa where 66% of the global maternal mortality occurred, only 56% of all births take place in health facility. This study examined the individual and contextual predictors of non-use of health service for […]
Prevalence and factors associated with use of herbal medicines during pregnancy among women attending postnatal clinics in Gulu district, Northern Uganda
Background: According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, 80 % of the population living in rural areas in developing countries depends on traditional medicine for their health needs, including use during pregnancy. Despite the fact that knowledge of potential side effects of many herbal medicines in pregnancy is limited and that some herbal products may […]
Knowledge of preconception care among healthcare providers working in public health institutions in Hawassa, Ethiopia
Background Preconception care (PCC) is an evidence-based health promotion intervention to prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes. Nevertheless, it is one of the missing elements within the continuum of maternal and child healthcare. Despite the WHO’s recommendation, most of the developing countries have not yet started implementing preconception care. Objective To determine the knowledge level of healthcare […]
Developing a physical activity intervention strategy for pregnant women in buffalo city municipality, south africa: A study protocol
Despite global awareness about the importance and health benefits of physical activity (PA) during pregnancy, several studies have reported a low prevalence of PA participation among pregnant women in both developed and developing countries. This means that most pregnant women do not meet the current PA recommended guideline of 150 min of moderate intensity PA […]
Knowledge and provision of misoprostol among pharmacy workers in Senegal: A cross sectional study
Background: Making misoprostol widely available for management of postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) and post abortion care (PAC) is essential for reducing maternal mortality. Private pharmacies (thereafter called “pharmacies”) are integral in supplying medications to the general public in Senegal. In the case of misoprostol, pharmacies are also the main supplier to public providers and therefore have […]
Gender intentional approaches to enhance health social enterprises in Africa: a qualitative study of constraints and strategies
Background: Health social enterprises are experimenting with community health worker (CHW) models that allow for various income-generating opportunities to motivate and incentivize CHWs. Although evidence shows that improving gender equality contributes to the achievement of health outcomes, gender-based constraints faced by CHWs working with social enterprises in Africa have not yet been empirically studied. This […]
The impact of training non-physician clinicians in Malawi on maternal and perinatal mortality: a cluster randomised controlled evaluation of the enhancing training and appropriate technologies for mothers and babies in Africa (ETATMBA) project
Background: Maternal mortality in much of sub-Saharan Africa is very high whereas there has been a steady decline in over the past 60 years in Europe. Perinatal mortality is 12 times higher than maternal mortality accounting for about 7 million neonatal deaths; many of these in sub-Saharan countries. Many of these deaths are preventable. Countries, […]
Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network: A protocol for a multi-site prospective cohort study to identify modifiable risk factors for mortality among acutely ill children in Africa and Asia
Introduction Children admitted to hospitals in resource-poor settings remain at risk of both inpatient and post-discharge mortality. While known risk factors such as young age and nutritional status can identify children at risk, they do not provide clear mechanistic targets for intervention. The Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) cohort study aims to characterise the […]
