Knowledge of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy of Moroccan women in Morocco and in the Netherlands: A qualitative interview study
Background: Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP) are the most common medical disorders in pregnancy and the greatest single cause of maternal mortality worldwide. Ethnicity appears to be a significant risk factor for pregnancy related mortality and for severe maternal morbidity. Most of the complications caused by HDP may be reduced by early detection and proper […]
Lived experiences and perceptions of childbirth among pastoralist women in north-eastern Ethiopia: A multimethod qualitative analysis to the WHO health systems responsiveness framework
Maternity should be a time of hope and joy. However, for women in pastoralist communities in Ethiopia, the reality of motherhood is often grim. This problem is creating striking disparities of skilled birth uptake among the agrarian and pastoral communities in Ethiopia. So far, the depth and effects of the problem are not well understood. […]
Reasons for the utilization of the services of traditional birth attendants during childbirth: A qualitative study in Northern Ghana
Background: Skilled delivery reduces maternal and neonatal mortality. Ghana has put in place measures to reduce geographical and financial access to skilled delivery. Despite this, about 30% of deliveries still occur either at home or are conducted by traditional birth attendants. We, therefore, conducted this study to explore the reasons for the utilization of the […]
Effect of a multifaceted intervention on the utilisation of primary health for maternal and child health care in rural Nigeria: A quasi-experimental study
Objective The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a set of multifaceted interventions designed to increase the access of rural women to antenatal, intrapartum, postpartum and childhood immunisation services offered in primary healthcare facilities. Design The study was a separate sample pretest-post-test quasi-experimental research. Setting The research was conducted in 20 […]
Effect of integrating maternal and child health services, nutrition and family planning services on postpartum family planning uptake at 6 months post-partum in Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire and Niger: a quasi-experimental study protocol
Background: Although several interventions integrating maternal, neonatal, child health and nutrition with family planning have been implemented and tested, there is still limited evidence on their effectiveness to guide program efforts and policy action on health services integration. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a service delivery model integrating maternal and child health […]
A cascade model of mentorship for frontline health workers in rural health facilities in Eastern Uganda: Processes, achievements and lessons
Background: There is increasing demand for trainers to shift from traditional didactic training to innovative approaches that are more results-oriented. Mentorship is one such approach that could bridge the clinical knowledge gap among health workers. Objectives: This paper describes the experiences of an attempt to improve health-worker performance in maternal and newborn health in three […]
Predictors of health-care utilization among children 6-59 months of age in zambézia province, Mozambique
Globally, approximately 5.9 million children under 5 years of age died in 2015, a reduction of over 50% since 1990. Millennium Development Goal 4 established the goal of reducing child mortality by two-thirds by 2015. Multiple countries have surpassed this goal; however, regional and within-country inequities exist. We sought to study determinants of health-care utilization […]
Rural-urban disparities in missed opportunities for vaccination in sub-Saharan Africa: a multi-country decomposition analyses
Background: In this study, we aimed to explore the rural-urban disparities in the magnitude and determinants of missed opportunities for vaccination (MOV) in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using nationally representative household surveys conducted between 2007 and 2017 in 35 countries across sub-Saharan Africa. The risk difference in MOV between rural or […]
Impact evaluation of a maternal and neonatal health training intervention in private Ugandan facilities
Global and country-specific targets for reductions in maternal and neonatal mortality in low-resource settings will not be achieved without improvements in the quality of care for optimal facility-based obstetric and newborn care. This global call includes the private sector, which is increasingly serving low-resource pregnant women. The primary aim of this study was to estimate […]
Sociocultural practices and beliefs during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum among indigenous pastoralist women of reproductive age in Manyara, Tanzania: a descriptive qualitative study
BACKGROUND: Despite interventions improving maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality, progress has been sluggish, especially in hard-to-reach indigenous communities. Sociocultural beliefs in these communities more often influence the adoption of particular behaviors throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. Therefore, this study identified sociocultural beliefs and practices during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum among indigenous pastoralist women of […]
