Use of and barriers to maternal health services in southeast Chad: Results of a population-based survey 2019
Objectives Chad reports the second highest maternal mortality worldwide. We conducted a survey in Sila region in southeast Chad to estimate the use of maternal health services (MHS) and to identify barriers to access MHS. Design Retrospective cross-sectional, population-based survey using two-stage cluster sampling methodology. The survey consisted of two strata, Koukou Angarana and Goz […]
Growth pattern in Ethiopian infants – the impact of exposure to maternal HIV infection in relation to socio-economic factors
Background: Infants exposed to maternal HIV infection who remain HIV-uninfected (HIV-exposed/uninfected; HIV-EU) may be at increased risk of growth retardation, which could be due both to directly HIV-related effects and to socio-economic factors overrepresented among HIV-positive women. Objective: To investigate growth development at 9-12 months of age in HIV-EU infants participating in prevention of mother-to-child […]
Learning from changes concurrent with implementing a complex and dynamic intervention to improve urban maternal and perinatal health in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 2011-2019
Introduction Rapid urbanisation in Dar es Salaam, the main commercial hub in Tanzania, has resulted in congested health facilities, poor quality care, and unacceptably high facility-based maternal and perinatal mortality. Using a participatory approach, the Dar es Salaam regional government in partnership with a non-governmental organisation, Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania, implemented a complex, […]
An assessment of maternal health issues in two villages in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa
The fifth Millennium Development Goal of improving maternal health was placed on the international agenda and endorsed by global leaders at the Millennium Summit held in 2000. The aim of this baseline study was to conduct a situational analysis of key maternal health issues in two rural Eastern Cape villages in South Africa: Glenmore and […]
Determinants of timing, adequacy and quality of antenatal care in Rwanda: a cross-sectional study using demographic and health surveys data
Background: Antenatal care (ANC) is a recommended intervention to lessen maternal and neonatal mortality. The increased rate in ANC coverage in most Sub-Saharan African countries is not considerably reducing the maternal and neonatal mortality. This disconnection has raised concerns to study further the trend and determinants of the ANC timing and quality. We aimed to […]
Working lives of maternity healthcare workers in Malawi: an ethnography to identify ways to improve care
BACKGROUND: Maternal mortality in East Africa is high with a maternal mortality rate of 428 per 100,000 live births. Malawi, whilst comparing favourably to East Africa as a whole, continues to have a high maternal mortality rate (349 per 100,000 live births) despite it being reduced by 53% since 2000. To make further improvements in […]
Can she make it? Transportation barriers to accessing maternal and child health care services in rural Ghana
Background: The Ghana Community based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) strategy targets to bring health services to the doorsteps of clients in a manner that improves maternal and child health outcomes. In this strategy, referral is an important component but it is threatened in a rural context where transportation service is a problem. Few studies […]
Determinants of depressive symptoms among postpartum mothers: a cross-sectional study in Ethiopia
Objective This study aims to assess the determinants of depressive symptoms among postpartum mothers. Design A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted. Setting Ten randomly selected rural kebeles of Meket district of Ethiopia. Participants A random sample of 232 mothers with infants 5-10 months was included in this study. Data analysis Forward multivariable logistic regression analysis. […]
Delayed illness recognition and multiple referrals: A qualitative study exploring care-seeking trajectories contributing to maternal and newborn illnesses and death in southern Tanzania
Background: Maternal and neonatal mortality remain high in southern Tanzania despite an increasing number of births occurring in health facilities. In search for reasons for the persistently high mortality rates, we explored illness recognition, decision-making and care-seeking for cases of maternal and neonatal illness and death. Methods: We conducted 48 in-depth interviews (16 participants who […]
Factors associated with concurrent wasting and stunting among children 6–59 months in Karamoja, Uganda
Children with concurrent wasting and stunting (WaSt) and children with severe wasting have a similar risk of death. Existing evidence shows that wasting and stunting share similar causal pathways, but evidence on correlates of WaSt remains limited. Research on correlates of WaSt is needed to inform prevention strategies. We investigated the factors associated with WaSt […]
