Caregiver parenting practices, dietary diversity knowledge, and association with early childhood development outcomes among children aged 18-29 months in Zanzibar, Tanzania: a cross-sectional survey
Background: Many children in low- and middle-income countries fail to reach their cognitive potential, with experiences before age 3 critical in shaping long-term development. Zanzibar’s Jamii ni Afya program is the first national, digitally enabled community health volunteer (CHV) program promoting early childhood development (ECD) following the Nurturing Care Framework within an integrated maternal and […]
“When I Breastfeed, It Feels as if my Soul Leaves the Body”: Maternal Capabilities for Healthy Child Growth in Rural Southeastern Tanzania
The burden of childhood stunting in Tanzania is persistently high, even in high food-producing regions. This calls for a paradigm shift in Child Growth Monitoring (CGM) to a multi-dimensional approach that also includes the contextual information of an individual child and her/his caregivers. To contribute to the further development of CGM to reflect local contexts, […]
Determinants of perceived quality of obstetric care in rural Tanzania: A cross-sectional study
Background: Patients’ reported opinions of the health system need to be understood in order to provide patient-centered care. We investigated determinants of women’s ratings of the quality of care during their most recent facility delivery. Methods: We conducted a census of all deliveries in the 6 weeks to 12 months preceding the survey, in villages […]
Mistreatment of newborns after childbirth in health facilities in Nepal: Results from a prospective cohort observational study
Background Patient experience of care reflects the quality of health care in health facilities. While there are multiple studies documenting abuse and disrespect to women during childbirth, there is limited evidence on the mistreatment of newborns immediately after childbirth. This paper addresses the evidence gap by assessing the prevalence and risk factors associated with mistreatment […]
Effects of early-life competition and maternal nutrition on telomere lengths in wild meerkats
Early-life adversity can affect health, survival and fitness later in life, and recent evidence suggests that telomere attrition may link early conditions with their delayed consequences. Here, we investigate the link between early-life competition and telomere length in wild meerkats. Our results show that, when multiple females breed concurrently, increases in the number of pups […]
Impact of a 15-month multi-channel continuous distribution pilot on ITN ownership and access in Eastern Region, Ghana
Background: Insecticide-treated nets are a key intervention for malaria prevention. While mass distribution can rapidly scale up ITN coverage, multiple channels may be needed to sustain high levels of ITN access and ownership. In Ghana’s Eastern Region, a continuous ITN distribution pilot, started in October 2012, 18-24 months after a mass campaign. The pilot distributed […]
Spatial variations and multilevel mixed effect analysis on determinants factors of modern contraceptive utilization among reproductive age women in Ethiopia; proven by Ethiopian mini demographic health survey 2019
Introduction: Globally, in 2019, there are 1.9 billion women of reproductive age (15–49), of which 1.1 billion have a need for family planning. Of these, 842 million use contraceptives, and 270 million still have an unmet need for contraception. Ethiopia is a low-income country with inadequate access to family planning (FP), especially in the developing […]
Determinants of health facility utilization for childbirth in rural western Kenya: Cross-sectional study
Background: Skilled attendance at delivery is recognized as one of the most important factors in preventing maternal death. However, more than 50% of births in Kenya still occur in non-institutional locations supported by family members and/or traditional birth attendants (TBAs). To improve this situation, a study of the determinants of facility delivery, including individual, family […]
Association between household environmental conditions and nutritional status of women of childbearing age in Nigeria
Maternal undernutrition remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Nigeria. Yet, most interventional programmes are focused on infant and child nutrition outcomes and not on maternal nutrition-related outcomes. Evidence suggests that the integration of household environmental interventions into nutrition actions can make a difference in reducing the burden of maternal undernutrition. This study […]
At the frontlines of digitisation: A qualitative study on the challenges and opportunities in maintaining accurate, complete and timely digital health records in India’s government health system
Objectives To understand factors underpinning the accuracy and timeliness of mobile phone numbers and other health information captured in India’s government registry for pregnant and postpartum women. Accurate and timely registration of mobile phone numbers is necessary for beneficiaries to receive mobile health services. Setting Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan states in India at the community, […]
