Exclusive breastfeeding rates and associated factors in 13 “economic community of West African states” (ECOWAS) countries
Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) has important protective effects on child survival and also increases the growth and development of infants. This paper examined EBF rates and associated factors in 13 “Economic Community of West African States” (ECOWAS) countries. A weighted sample of 19,735 infants from the recent Demographic and Health Survey dataset in ECOWAS countries for […]
A qualitative study of health system barriers to accessibility and utilization of maternal and newborn healthcare services in Ghana after user-fee abolition
Background: To reduce financial barriers to access, and improve access to and use of skilled maternal and newborn healthcare services, the government of Ghana, in 2003, implemented a new maternal healthcare policy that provided free maternity care services in all public and mission healthcare facilities. Although supervised delivery in Ghana has increased from 47% in […]
Is a woolen cap effective in maintaining normothermia in low-birth-weight infants during kangaroo mother care? Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Background: Neonatal hypothermia is an important challenge associated with morbidity and mortality. Preventing neonatal hypothermia is important in high-resource countries, but is of fundamental importance in low-resource settings where supportive care is limited. Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is a low-cost intervention that, whenever possible, is strongly recommended for temperature maintenance. During KMC, the World Health […]
Association between maternal mortality and caesarean section in Ethiopia: A national cross-sectional study
Background: Several studies concluded that there is a reduction of maternal deaths with improved access to caesarean section, while other studies showed the existence of a direct association between the two variables. In Ethiopia, literature about the association between maternal mortality and caesarean section is scarce. This study was aimed to assess the association between […]
Determinants of Maternal Near Miss in Western Ethiopia
Background: Analysis of maternal near miss events and identification of factors resulting in maternal death are vital to improve the quality of obstetric care in any given setting. This study is aimed to determine the magnitude of maternal miss and identify its determinants. Methods: A hospital-based unmatched case-control study design was used. Sixty one maternal […]
An assessment of priority setting process and its implication on availability of emergency obstetric care services in Malindi district, Kenya
Introduction: In spite of the critical role of Emergency Obstetric Care in treating complications arising from pregnancy and childbirth, very few facilities are equipped in Kenya to offer this service. In Malindi, availability of EmOC services does not meet the UN recommended levels of at least one comprehensive and four basic EmOC facilities per 500,000 […]
Impact of maternal death reviews at a rural hospital in Zambia: A mixed methods study
Background: Maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa remains high despite programmatic efforts to improve maternal health. In 2007, the Zambian Ministry of Health mandated facility-based maternal death review (MDR) programs in line with World Health Organization recommendations. We assessed the impact of an [MDR program] at a district-level hospital in rural Zambia. Methods: We conducted a […]
Measuring socioeconomic status in multicountry studies: Results from the eight-country MAL-ED study
Background: There is no standardized approach to comparing socioeconomic status (SES) across multiple sites in epidemiological studies. This is particularly problematic when cross-country comparisons are of interest. We sought to develop a simple measure of SES that would perform well across diverse, resource-limited settings.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 800 children aged 24 to […]
Effect of a participatory multisectoral maternal and newborn intervention on maternal health service utilization and newborn care practices: A quasi-experimental study in three rural Ugandan districts
Background: The MANIFEST study in eastern Uganda employed a participatory multisectoral approach to reduce barriers to access to maternal and newborn care services. Objectives: This study analyses the effect of the intervention on the utilization of maternal and newborn services and care practices. Methods: The quasi-experimental pre- and post-comparison design had two main components: community […]
Maternal near-miss and mortality associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy remote from term: a multicenter observational study in Ghana
BACKGROUND: Maternal death rates remain high in many low- and middle-income countries. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy account for 18% of maternal mortality in Ghana. The maternal near-miss approach was designed to evaluate severe (acute) complications in pregnancy, which is useful to detect potential areas for clinical care improvement. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed (1) to determine […]
