A process evaluation plan for assessing a complex community-based maternal health intervention in Ogun State, Nigeria
Background: Despite increased investment in community-level maternal health interventions, process evaluations of such interventions are uncommon, and can be instrumental in understanding mediating factors leading to outcomes. In Nigeria, where an unacceptably number of maternal deaths occur (maternal mortality ratio of 814/100,000 livebirths), the Community Level Interventions for Pre-eclampsia (CLIP) study (NCT01911494) aimed to reduce […]
Maternal Nutrition Education Provided by Midwives: A Qualitative Study in an Antenatal Clinic, Uganda
Maternal nutrition during pregnancy affects the health of the mother and baby. The objective of this paper is to describe the maternal nutrition education offered by midwives to women attending an antenatal clinic. The study also examined the resources, support, and the needs of the midwives in offering the nutrition education. Six in-depth interviews with […]
Prevalence of undernutrition and its associated factors among pregnant women in Konso district, southern Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study
Background: Undernutrition during pregnancy is an important public health problem. It is highly prevalent in Ethiopia but not sufficiently addressed yet. Hence, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of undernutrition and its associated factors among pregnant mothers in Konso district, Ethiopia. Methods: Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted with a qualitative inquiry from December 2018 […]
Vitamin A and zinc supplementation among pregnant women to prevent placental malaria: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in Tanzania
Vitamin A and zinc are important for immune function and may improve host defense against malaria and reduce the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Our objective was to determine whether daily oral supplementation with either or both nutrients starting in the first trimester reduces the risk of placental malaria and adverse pregnancy outcomes. We undertook […]
Household costs and time to seek care for pregnancy related complications: The role of results-based financing
Results-based financing (RBF) schemes–including performance based financing (PBF) and conditional cash transfers (CCT)-are increasingly being used to encourage use and improve quality of institutional health care for pregnant women in order to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in low-income countries. While there is emerging evidence that RBF can increase service use and quality, little is […]
Cost effectiveness of option B plus for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in resource-limited countries: Evidence from Kumasi, Ghana
Background: Achieving the goal of eliminating mother-to-child HIV transmission (MTCT) necessitates increased access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV-infected pregnant women. Option B provides ART through pregnancy and breastfeeding, whereas Option B+ recommends continuous ART regardless of CD4 count, thus potentially reducing MTCT during future pregnancies. Our objective was to compare maternal and pediatric health […]
Two decades of regional trends in vaccination completion and coverage among children aged 12-23 months: an analysis of the Uganda Demographic Health Survey data from 1995 to 2016
Background: Childhood vaccination is an important public health intervention but there is limited information on coverage, trends, and determinants of vaccination completion in Uganda at the regional level. We examined trends in regional vaccination coverage and established the determinants of vaccination completion among children aged 12-23 months in Uganda. Methods: We analyzed data from the […]
Perinatal death in Northern Uganda: incidence and risk factors in a community-based prospective cohort study
Background: Perinatal mortality in Uganda remains high at 38 deaths/1,000 births, an estimate greater than the every newborn action plan (ENAP) target of ≤24/1,000 births by 2030. To improve perinatal survival, there is a need to understand the persisting risk factors for death. Objective: We determined the incidence, risk factors, and causes of perinatal death […]
Maternal and fetal outcomes of pregnancies complicated by acute hepatitis E and the impact of HIV status: A cross-sectional study in Namibia
Background & Aims: Namibia has been suffering from an outbreak of hepatitis E genotype 2 since 2017. As nearly half of hepatitis E-related deaths were among pregnant and postpartum women, we analysed maternal and fetal outcomes of pregnancies complicated by acute hepatitis E and assessed whether HIV-status impacted on outcome. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study […]
Compliance to prenatal iron and folic acid supplement use in relation to low birth weight in lilongwe, Malawi
Prenatal iron and folic acid (IFA) supplements are offered free to all pregnant women in Malawi to reduce maternal anemia and improve birth outcomes. We investigated the association between self-reported compliance to IFA intake and risk of low birth weight (LBW). Pregnant women who attended Bwaila Maternity Wing of Lilongwe District Hospital for delivery were […]
