A 10 year study of the cause of death in children under 15 years in Manhiça, Mozambique
Background. Approximately 46 million of the estimated 60 million deaths that occur in the world each year take place in developing countries. Further, this mortality is highest in Sub-Saharan Africa, although causes of mortality in this region are not well documented. The objective of this study is to describe the most frequent causes of mortality […]
Counseling at all contacts for postpartum contraceptive use: Can paper-based tools help community health workers improve continuity of care? A qualitative study from Ethiopia
Background: Globally, there has been a resurgence of interest in postpartum family planning (PPFP) to advance reproductive health outcomes. Few programs have systematically utilized all contacts a woman and her baby have with the health system, from pregnancy through the first year postpartum, to promote PPFP. Nested into a larger study covering two districts, this […]
Course of depression symptoms between 3 and 8months after delivery using two screening tools (EPDS and HSCL-10) on a sample of Sudanese women in Khartoum state
Background: Effects of depression on parenting and on cognitive development of newborns are augmented when symptoms continue throughout the first postnatal year. Current classification systems recognize maternal depression as postnatal if symptoms commence within four to six weeks. Traditional cultural rituals in Sudan offer new mothers adequate family support in the first 6-8weeks postpartum. The […]
Factors associated with adoption of beneficial newborn care practices in rural Eastern Uganda: A cross-sectional study
Background: Beneficial newborn care practices can improve newborn survival. However, little is known about the factors that affect adoption of these practices. Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted among 1,616 mothers who had delivered in the past year in two health sub-districts (Luuka and Buyende) in Eastern Uganda. Data collection took place between November and December 2011. […]
Prevalence and Stigma of Postpartum Common Mental Disorders in the Gurage Region of Ethiopia: A Mixed-Methods Observational Cohort Study
Objectives: Mental disorders are vastly underdiagnosed in low-income countries that disproportionately affect women. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of common mental disorders in newly postpartum women, and stigma associated with mental health reporting in an Ethiopian community using a validated World Health Organization survey. Methods: The Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ) for psychological distress was […]
Person-centred maternity care in low-income and middle-income countries: analysis of data from Kenya, Ghana, and India
Background: Several qualitative studies have described disrespectful, abusive, and neglectful treatment of women during facility-based childbirth, but few studies document the extent of person-centred maternity care (PCMC)—ie, responsive and respectful maternity care—in low-income and middle-income countries. In this Article, we present descriptive statistics on PCMC in four settings across three low-income and middle-income countries, and […]
The use of formative research to inform the design of a seasonal malaria chemoprevention intervention in northern Nigeria
Background: Experience of seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) is growing in the Sahel sub-region of Africa, though there remains insufficient evidence to recommend a standard deployment strategy. In 2012, a project was initiated in Katsina state, northern Nigeria, to design an appropriate and effective community-based delivery approach for SMC, in consultation with local stakeholders. Formative research […]
Prevalence and associated factors of common mental disorders in primary care settings in Sofala Province, Mozambique
Background In Mozambique, the prevalence of common mental illness in primary care is not well established. Aims This study aimed to assess the prevalence of, and associated factors for, common mental illness in patients accessing primary care services in three Ministry of Health clinics in Mozambique. Method Adult patients were recruited from the waiting rooms […]
Mapping disparities in education across low- and middle-income countries
Educational attainment is an important social determinant of maternal, newborn, and child health1–3. As a tool for promoting gender equity, it has gained increasing traction in popular media, international aid strategies, and global agenda-setting4–6. The global health agenda is increasingly focused on evidence of precision public health, which illustrates the subnational distribution of disease and […]
Impact of the Momentum pilot project on male involvement in maternal health and newborn care in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo: a quasi-experimental study
Background: The World Health Organization recommends that programs that seek to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes actively involve men during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. However, there is little evidence on what strategies work to increase male knowledge of and involvement in antenatal and postnatal care. This study assessed the impact of the Momentum project […]
