Time to first birth and its predictors among reproductive-age women in Ethiopia: inverse Weibull gamma shared frailty model
Background: High maternal and child death with high fertility rate have been reported in Ethiopia. Extreme age at first birth is linked with both maternal and child morbidity and mortality. However, literatures showed there were limited studies on the timing of the first birth and its predictors in the area so far. Therefore, determining the […]
Can reproductive health voucher programs improve quality of postnatal care? A quasi-experimental evaluation of Kenya ‘ s Safe Motherhood voucher scheme
This study tests the group-level causal relationship between the expansion of Kenya’s Safe Motherhood voucher program and changes in quality of postnatal care (PNC) provided at voucher-contracted facilities.We compare facilities accredited since program inception in 2006 (phase I) and facilities accredited since 2010-2011 (phase II) relative to comparable non-voucher facilities. PNC quality is assessed using […]
How different incentives influence reported motivation and perceptions of performance in Ghanaian community-based health planning and services zones
Background:: Maternal mortality is still a burden worldwide, and Ghana’s maternal and child mortalities are still high. Incentive schemes have been effective in improving health workers’ performance thereby reducing maternal and child deaths. The efficiency of public health services in most developing countries has been linked to the provision of incentives. Thus, financial packages for […]
Participation in a clinical trial of a text messaging intervention is associated with increased infant HIV testing: A parallel-cohort randomized controlled trial
Objective Text messages significantly improve uptake of infant HIV testing in clinical trial contexts. Women who were excluded from a randomized trial in Kenya were followed to create a comparison between women who were enrolled and did not receive the study SMS intervention and women who were screened but not enrolled. Design Parallel-cohort randomized controlled […]
Tubaramure, a Food-Assisted Integrated Health and Nutrition Program, Reduces Child Wasting in Burundi: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Intervention Trial
Background: Little is known about the impact of food-assisted maternal and child health programs (FA-MCHN) on child wasting. Objectives: We assessed the impact of Tubaramure, a FA-MCHN program in Burundi, on child (0 to 24 months) wasting and the differential impacts by socio-economic characteristics and age. The program targeted women and their children during the […]
Midwife-performed checklist and ultrasound to identify obstetric conditions at labour triage in Uganda: A quasi-experimental study
Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a midwife-performed checklist and limited obstetric ultrasound on sensitivity and positive predictive value for a composite outcome comprising multiple gestation, placenta praevia, oligohydramnios, preterm birth, malpresentation, abnormal foetal heart rate. Design: Quasi-experimental pre-post intervention study. Setting: Maternity unit at a district hospital in […]
Birth outcomes in South African women receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy: A retrospective observational study
Background: Use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), a triple-drug combination, in HIV-infected pregnant women markedly reduces mother to child transmission of HIV and decreases maternal morbidity. However, there remains uncertainty about the effects of in utero exposure to HAART on foetal development. Methods. Our objectives were to investigate whether in utero exposure to HAART […]
The impact of antenatal care on under‐five mortality in Ethiopia: a difference‐in‐differences analysis
Background: Sub-Saharan Africa, as opposed to other regions, has the highest under-five mortality rates yet makes the least improvement in reducing under-five mortality. Despite the decline, Ethiopia is among the top ten countries contributing the most to global under-five mortalities. This article examines the impact of the number of antenatal care and the timing of […]
Assessing trends in the content of maternal and child care following a health system strengthening initiative in rural Madagascar: A longitudinal cohort study
Background: In order to reach the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, gains attained in access to primary healthcare must be matched by gains in the quality of services delivered. Despite the broad consensus around the need to address quality, studies on the impact of health system strengthening (HSS) have focused predominantly on measures […]
Determinants of healthcare providers’ confidence in their clinical skills to deliver quality obstetric and newborn care in Uganda and Zambia
Background: Poor quality obstetric and newborn care persists in sub-Saharan Africa and weak provider competence is an important contributor. To be competent, providers need to be both knowledgeable and confident in their ability to perform necessary clinical actions. Confidence or self-efficacy has not been extensively studied but may be related to individuals’ knowledge, ability to […]
