Socio-economic determinants of ownership and use of treated bed nets in Nigeria: Results from a cross-sectional study in Cross River and Bauchi States in 2011
Background: Poor people bear a disproportionate burden of malaria and prevention measures may not reach them well. A study carried out to examine the socio-economic factors associated with ownership and use of treated bed nets in Cross River and Bauchi States of Nigeria took place soon after campaigns to distribute treated bed nets. Methods. A […]
Food insecurity is associated with attitudes towards exclusive breastfeeding among women in urban Kenya
This study aimed to document whether food insecurity was associated with beliefs and attitudes towards exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) among urban Kenyan women. We conducted structured interviews with 75 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-affected and 75 HIV-status unknown, low-income women who were either pregnant or with a child ≤24months and residing in Nakuru, Kenya to generate categorical […]
Food beliefs and practices among the Kalenjin pregnant women in rural Uasin Gishu County, Kenya
Background: Understanding food beliefs and practices is critical to the development of dietary recommendations, nutritional programmes, and educational messages. This study aimed to understand the pregnancy food beliefs and practices and the underlying reasons for these among the contemporary rural Kalenjin communities of Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. Methods: Through semi-structured interviews, data was collected from […]
Malaria intermittent preventive treatment in Nigeria: a qualitative study to explore barriers
Background: While the use of sulphadoxine pyrimethamine (SP) is effective in preventing malaria infection during pregnancy, there are challenges limiting its uptake in Nigeria. This study aimed at exploring the barriers to IPTp usage among pregnant women in Kano state – Nigeria. Methods: This is a qualitative study. The purposive sampling strategy was used for […]
Perception towards preeclampsia and perceived barriers to early health-seeking among pregnant women in selected Hospitals of South Gondar Zone, Northwest Ethiopia: A qualitative study
Background Preeclampsia is one of the top maternal morbidity and mortality that disproportionately affects pregnant women in low and middle-income countries where access and quality of health services are limited. People in different areas perceive preeclampsia differently which directly or indirectly affects the timing and place of heath seeking. Positive perception about perceived causes, perceived […]
An evaluation of antibiotic prescribing practices in a rural refugee settlement district in Uganda
Ensuring access to effective antibiotics and rational prescribing of antibiotics are critical in reducing antibiotic resistance. In this study, we evaluated antibiotic prescribing practices in a rural district in Uganda. It was a cross-sectional study that involved a retrospective review of 500 outpatient prescriptions from five health facilities. The prescriptions were systematically sampled. World Health […]
How equitable is social franchising? Case studies of three maternal healthcare franchises in Uganda and India
Substantial investments have been made in clinical social franchising to improve quality of care of private facilities in low- and middle-income countries but concerns have emerged that the benefits fail to reach poorer groups. We assessed the distribution of franchise utilization and content of care by socio-economic status (SES) in three maternal healthcare social franchises […]
Women’s perspectives on the measures that need to be taken to increase the use of health-care facility delivery service among slums women, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a qualitative study
Background: Global strategies to target high maternal mortality ratios are focused on providing skilled attendance at delivery along with access to emergency obstetric care. Research that examines strategies to increase facility-based skilled birth attendance among slum residents in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is limited. Objective: The study aimed to explore women’s perspectives on the measures that […]
The impact of user fees on health services utilization and infectious disease diagnoses in Neno District, Malawi: A longitudinal, quasi-experimental study
Background: User fees have generally fallen out of favor across Africa, and they have been associated with reductions in access to healthcare. We examined the effects of the introduction and removal of user fees on outpatient attendances and new diagnoses of HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis in Neno District, Malawi where user fees were re-instated at […]
Increasing coverage and decreasing inequity in insecticide-treated bed net use among rural Kenyan children
Background: Inexpensive and efficacious interventions that avert childhood deaths in sub-Saharan Africa have failed to reach effective coverage, especially among the poorest rural sectors. One particular example is insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs). In this study, we present repeat observations of ITN coverage among rural Kenyan homesteads exposed at different times to a range of delivery […]
