Breastfeeding practices of HIV-positive and HIV-negative women in Kabarole district, Uganda
Ugandan policy regarding infant feeding for HIV-positive mothers is replacement feeding (RF), if feasible; otherwise, exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for 3 months is advised (or EBF for 6 months, if RF is still not feasible). HIV-negative mothers should practise EBF for 6 months. The study objective was to explore the association between maternal HIV status and […]
Facility level factors that determine consistent delivery of essential newborn care at health centers in Ethiopia
Background: Essential newborn care (ENC) is a package of interventions which should be provided for every newborn baby regardless of body size or place of delivery immediately after birth and should be continued for at least the seven days that follows. Even though Ethiopia has endorsed the implementation of ENC, as other many counties, it […]
Comparison of nutritional status and associated factors of lactating women between lowland and highland communities of District Raya, Alamata, Southern Tigiray, Ethiopia
Background: The Ethiopian regions have a relatively higher prevalence of under-nutrition are found in the lowlands of the country, with the exception of the highlands of Tigiray, where under-nutrition is also prevalent. The intention of this study was to compare anthropometric nutritional status and associated factors of lactating women between lowland and highland communities of […]
Timing and adequate attendance of antenatal care visits among women in Ethiopia
Introduction: Although ANC services are increasingly available to women in low and middle-income countries, their inadequate use persists. This suggests a misalignment between aims of the services and maternal beliefs and circumstances. Owing to the dearth of studies examining the timing and adequacy of content of care, this current study aims to investigate the timing […]
A seamless transition’: How to sustain a community health worker scheme within the health system of Gombe state, northeast Nigeria
Health interventions introduced as part of donor-funded projects need careful planning if they are to survive when donor funding ends. In northeast Nigeria, the Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency and implementing partners recognized this when introducing a Village Health Worker (VHW) Scheme in 2016. VHWs are a new cadre of community health worker, […]
Inequitable childhood immunization uptake in Nigeria: A multilevel analysis of individual and contextual determinants
Background: Immunization coverage in many parts of Nigeria is far from optimal, and far from equitable. Methods: Nigeria accounts for half of the deaths from Measles in Africa, the highest prevalence of circulating wild poliovirus in the world, and the country is among the ten countries in the world with vaccine coverage below 50 percent. […]
Advancing Survival in Nigeria: A Pre-post Evaluation of an Integrated Maternal and Neonatal Health Program
Introduction Nigeria contributes more obstetric, postpartum and neonatal deaths and stillbirths globally than any other country. The Clinton Health Access Initiative in partnership with the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health and the state Governments of Kano, Katsina, and Kaduna implemented an integrated Maternal and Neonatal Health program from July 2014. Up to 90% women deliver […]
From kitchen to classroom: Assessing the impact of cleaner burning biomass-fuelled cookstoves on primary school attendance in Karonga district, northern Malawi
Household air pollution from burning solid fuels is responsible for an estimated 2.9 million premature deaths worldwide each year and 4.5% of global disability-adjusted life years, while cooking and fuel collection pose a considerable time burden, particularly for women and children. Cleaner burning biomass-fuelled cookstoves have the potential to lower exposure to household air pollution […]
Causes of death among women aged 17-49 years between 2007 and 2010 in Maputo, Mozambique
Objectives To describe causes of death among young women and estimate the role of HIV/AIDS as a cause in Maputo City, based on the civil death register. Methods Death data of 17-49 year-old women were abstracted from January 2007-March 2010 from the civil death register in Maputo City, registering overall about 15 000 deaths per-year. […]
Malaria indicator survey 2007, Ethiopia: Coverage and use of major malaria prevention and control interventions
Background. In 2005, a nationwide survey estimated that 6.5% of households in Ethiopia owned an insecticide-treated net (ITN), 17% of households had been sprayed with insecticide, and 4% of children under five years of age with a fever were taking an anti-malarial drug. Similar to other sub-Saharan African countries scaling-up malaria interventions, the Government of […]