Application of the Andersen-Newman model of health care utilization to understand antenatal care use in Kersa District, Eastern Ethiopia
Background In Ethiopia, the uptake of antenatal care services has been low. Moreover, there is less frequent and late attendance of antenatal care among women who attend. Using the Anderson-Newman model of health care utilization, this study identified factors that either facilitate or impede antenatal care utilization in Kersa district, Eastern Ethiopia. Method A community-based […]
Preparedness for and impact of COVID-19 on primary health care delivery in urban and rural Malawi: a mixed methods study
Objective Across Africa, the impact of COVID-19 continues to be acutely felt. This includes Malawi, where a key component of health service delivery to mitigate against COVID-19 are the primary healthcare facilities, strategically placed throughout districts to offer primary and maternal healthcare. These facilities have limited infrastructure and capacity but are the most accessible and […]
Growth and health outcomes at school age in HIV-exposed, uninfected Zambian children: Follow-up of two cohorts studied in infancy
Background: Early growth and health of HIV-exposed, uninfected (HEU) children is poorer than that of their HIV-unexposed, uninfected (HUU) counterparts but there is little information about longer term effects of early HIV exposure. We previously recruited two cohorts of HEU and HUU Zambian infants and documented the poorer infant growth and health of the HEU […]
Effectiveness of checklist-based box system intervention (CBBSI) versus routine care on improving utilization of antenatal care visits in Northwest Ethiopia: a cluster randomized controlled trial
Background: In Ethiopia, the proportion of mothers who attend the fourth antenatal care visit is lower than the proportion who attend the first visit. Although the reasons for these dropouts were investigated, few studies introduced interventions to promote the fourth antenatal care visit. Hence, the aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of […]
Effects of the EQUIP quasi-experimental study testing a collaborative quality improvement approach for maternal and newborn health care in Tanzania and Uganda
Background: Quality improvement is a recommended strategy to improve implementation levels for evidence-based essential interventions, but experience of and evidence for its effects in low-resource settings are limited. We hypothesised that a systemic and collaborative quality improvement approach covering district, facility and community levels, supported by report cards generated through continuous household and health facility […]
Healthy Options: Study protocol and baseline characteristics for a cluster randomized controlled trial of group psychotherapy for perinatal women living with HIV and depression in Tanzania
Background: Perinatal women accessing prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services are at an increased risk of depression; however, in Tanzania there is limited access to services provided by mental health professionals. This paper presents a protocol and baseline characteristics for a study evaluating a psychosocial support group intervention facilitated by lay community-based health […]
Malnutrition, enamel defects, and early childhood caries in preschool children in a sub-urban Nigeria population
Objectives The study tried to determine if malnutrition (underweight, stunting, wasting, overweight) and enamel defects (enamel hypoplasia, hypomineralized second molar, amelogenesis imperfecta, fluorosis) were associated with early childhood caries (ECC). The study also examined whether malnutrition was associated with the presence of enamel defects in 0-5-year-old children. Methods The study was a secondary analysis of […]
Pregnant women’s experiences of routine counselling and testing for HIV in Eastern Uganda: A qualitative study
Background: Routine HIV counselling and testing as part of antenatal care has been institutionalized in Uganda as an entry point for pregnant women into the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programme. Understanding how women experience this mode of HIV testing is important to generate ideas on how to strengthen the PMTCT programme. We […]
The factors affecting the level of women’s awareness of birth preparedness and complication readiness in the lake zone, tanzania: A cross-sectional study
Background: The concept of birth preparedness and complication readiness (BP/CR) has continued to generate interest in the last decade. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of published data regarding this subject in Tanzania and the Lake Zone in particular. This study aimed to determine the factors affecting the level of awareness of BP/CR among Tanzanian women […]
Perceptions of malaria in pregnancy and acceptability of preventive interventions among Mozambican pregnant women: Implications for effectiveness of malaria control in pregnancy
Background: Intermittent Preventive Treatment (IPTp) and insecticide treated nets (ITNs) are recommended malaria in pregnancy preventive interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite their cost-effectiveness and seemingly straight-forward delivery mechanism, their uptake remains low. We aimed at describing perceptions of pregnant women regarding malaria and the recommended prevention interventions to understand barriers to uptake and help to […]
