Efficacy, duration of protection, birth outcomes, and infant growth associated with influenza vaccination in pregnancy: a pooled analysis of three randomised controlled trials
Background: Maternal influenza immunisation can reduce morbidity and mortality associated with influenza infection in pregnant women and young infants. We aimed to determine the vaccine efficacy of maternal influenza immunisation against maternal and infant PCR-confirmed influenza, duration of protection, and the effect of gestational age at vaccination on vaccine efficacy, birth outcomes, and infant growth […]
The effect of supervision on community health workers’ effectiveness with households in rural South Africa: A cluster randomized controlled trial
Background Community health workers (CHWs) can supplement professional medical providers, especially in rural settings where resources are particularly scarce. Yet, outcomes of studies evaluating CHWs effectiveness have been highly variable and lack impact when scaled nationally. This study examines if child and maternal outcomes are better when existing government CHWs, who are perinatal home visitors, […]
Shedding light on quality of care: A study protocol for a randomized trial evaluating the impact of the Solar Suitcase in rural health facilities on maternal and newborn care quality in Uganda
Background: Continued progress in reducing maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality in low-income countries requires a renewed focus on quality of delivery care. Reliable electricity and lighting is a cornerstone of a well-equipped health system, but most primary maternity care facilities in sub-Saharan Africa are either not connected to the electrical grid or suffer frequent […]
Factors influencing women’s access to the maternity waiting home in rural Southwest Ethiopia: A qualitative exploration
Background: Maternity Waiting Homes (MWHs) have been advocated to improve the utilization of skilled birth attendants. Nevertheless, delivery attended by skilled personnel is low in Ethiopia and may indicate that the utilization of MWH is also low. The aim of this study is to explore the factors influencing women’s access to the MWHs in rural […]
‘An uneasy compromise’: Strategies and dilemmas in realizing a permissive abortion law in Ethiopia
Introduction: At the turn of the century, when the Millennium Development Goals placed maternal mortality reduction high on the global agenda, Ethiopia relaxed its restrictive abortion law to expand grounds on which a woman could legally obtain an abortion. This radical policy shift took place within a context of predominant anti-abortion public opinion shaped by […]
Improving measures of access to legal abortion: A validation study triangulating multiple data sources to assess a global indicator
Background Global mechanisms have been established to monitor and facilitate state accountability regarding the legal status of abortion. However, there is little evidence describing whether these mechanisms capture accurate data. Moreover, it is uncertain whether the “legal status of abortion”is a valid proxy measure for access to safe abortion, pursuant to the global goals of […]
The 4MOTHERS trial of the impact of a mobile money-based intervention on maternal and neonatal health outcomes in Madagascar: study protocol of a cluster-randomized hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial
Background: Mobile money—a service enabling users to receive, store, and send electronic money using mobile phones—has been widely adopted across low- and middle-income economies to pay for a variety of services, including healthcare. However, evidence on its effects on healthcare access and health outcomes are scarce and the possible implications of using mobile money for […]
Improving early identification of HIV-infected neonates with birth PCR testing in a large urban hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa: Successes and challenges
Introduction: Timely diagnosis is necessary to avert early death in HIV-infected neonates. Birth PCR testing may improve early identification and facilitate access to care. We implemented a birth HIV diagnosis programme in Johannesburg, South Africa and present successes and challenges of the first two and a half years of operation. Methods: Between June 2014 and […]
Moderate and severe household food insecurity predicts stunting and severe stunting among Rwanda children aged 6–59 months residing in Gicumbi district
Household food insecurity (HFI) plays an important role in child malnutrition in many low-income countries. We determined the association between HFI and stunting and severe stunting among Rwandan children from the Gicumbi district, aged 6–59 months using a cross-sectional study of 2,222 children. HFI factor was calculated by summing all seven HFI (access) frequency questions and […]
Utilization of optimal antenatal care, institutional delivery, and associated factors in Northwest Ethiopia
Optimal antenatal care visits (ANC4+) and institutional delivery are essentials to save lives of the women and the baby during pregnancy and delivery. Though focused antenatal care visits and institutional delivery is recommended by World Health Organization, Ethiopia has sub-optimal antenatal care and lagged facility delivery. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 811 lactating […]
