Infant feeding, growth monitoring and the double burden of malnutrition among children aged 6 months and their mothers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
South Africa has a documented high prevalence of stunting and increasing obesity in children as well as obesity in adults. The double burden of malnutrition, which can be on an individual-, household- or population level, has implications for both health and the economic development of a community and country. This paper describes a large-scale survey […]
Lockdown-associated hunger may be affecting breastfeeding: Findings from a large sms survey in South Africa
The impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had, and will continue to have, on food security and child health is especially concerning. A rapid, Short Message Service (SMS) Maternal and Child Health survey was conducted in South Africa in June 2020 (n = 3140), with a follow-up in July 2020 (n = 2287). This was […]
Results-based financing to increase uptake of skilled delivery services in The Gambia: using the ‘three delays’ model to interpret midline evaluation findings
Background: Delays in accessing skilled delivery services are a major contributor to high maternal mortality in resource-limited settings. In 2015, the government of The Gambia initiated a results-based financing intervention that sought to increase uptake of skilled delivery. We performed a midline evaluation to determine the impact of the intervention and explore causes of delays. […]
Applying a system dynamics modelling approach to explore policy options for improving neonatal health in Uganda
Background: The most recent reports on global trends in neonatal mortality continue to show alarmingly slow progress on improvements in neonatal mortality rates, with sub-Saharan Africa still lagging behind. This emphasised the urgent need to innovatively employ alternative solutions that take into account the intricate complexities of neonatal health and the health systems in which […]
Determinants of exclusive breastfeeding practices among mothers in azezo district, northwest Ethiopia
Background: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is a very important, long lasting and cost effective intervention to help reduce the morbidity and mortality of infants. However, a large proportion of infants are not exclusively breastfed as recommended by the World Health Organization. The study aim was to assess the exclusive breastfeeding practices and identify determinants among mothers […]
Determinants of postnatal depression in Sudanese women at 3 months postpartum: A cross-sectional study
Objectives: Maternal mental health is a neglected issue in Sudanese healthcare. The aim of this study was to explore the factors associated with postnatal depression (PND) at 3 months postpartum in a sample of Sudanese women in Khartoum state. Setting: Recruitment was from two major public antenatal care (ANC) clinics in two maternity teaching hospitals […]
Lifetime adverse pregnancy outcomes and associated factors among antenatal care booked women in Central Gondar zone and Gondar city administration, Northwest Ethiopia
Background: In developing countries, adverse pregnancy outcomes are major public health issues. It is one of the leading causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite the fact that ending prenatal mortality and morbidity is one of the third Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the burden of the problem continues to be a huge concern in […]
Validity and reliability of maternal recall of pregnancy history and service use among signing Deaf women: A cross-sectional descriptive study from South Africa
Introduction There is little credible quantitative data on pregnancy histories and outcomes for disabled women in low-income and middle-income countries. The purpose of this study, based in Cape Town, South Africa, was to test the reliability and validity of maternal recall of pregnancy history and service use among a sample of Deaf women who use […]
How maternity waiting home use influences attendance of antenatal and postnatal care
As highlighted in the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, access to quality nursing and midwifery care is essential to promote maternal-newborn health and improve survival. One intervention aimed at improving maternal-newborn health and reducing underutilization of pregnancy services is the construction of maternity waiting homes (MWHs). The purpose of this study was […]
Health-related quality of life determinants among Rwandan women after delivery: Does antenatal care utilization matter? A cross-sectional study
Background: Despite the widespread use of antenatal care (ANC), its effectiveness in low-resource settings remains unclear. In this study, self-reported health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was used as an alternative to other maternal health measures previously used to measure the effectiveness of antenatal care. The main objective of this study was to determine whether adequate […]
