Pregnant women and health workers’ perspectives on perinatal mental health and intimate partner violence in rural Ethiopia: a qualitative interview study
Background: Mental health conditions are common during the perinatal period and associated with maternal, foetal, and neonatal morbidity and mortality. There is an established bidirectional relationship between mental health conditions and intimate partner violence (IPV), including during and after pregnancy. Mean lifetime prevalence of physical, sexual or emotional IPV exposure among women in rural Ethiopia […]
The effect of mother-infant skin-to-skin contact on Ghanaian infants’ response to the Still Face Task: Comparison between Ghanaian and Canadian mother-infant dyads
The effect of mother-infant skin-to-skin contact on Ghanaian infants’ developing social expectations for maternal behavior was investigated. Infants with high and low mother-infant skin-to-skin contact experience in the infants’ first month engaged with their mothers in a Still Face Task at 6 weeks of age. Infants with high skin-to-skin contact experience, but not those with […]
Community-level effect of the reproductive health vouchers program on out-of-pocket spending on family planning and safe motherhood services in Kenya
Background: Although vouchers can protect individuals in low-income countries from financial catastrophe and impoverishment arising from out-of-pocket expenditures on healthcare, their effectiveness in achieving this goal depends on whether both service and transport costs are subsidized as well as other factors such as service availability in a given locality and community perceptions about the quality […]
Maternal Exposure to Acephate Caused Nephrotoxicity in Adult Offspring Rats Mediated by Excessive Autophagy Activation, Oxidative Stress Induction, and Altered Epithelial Sodium Channel and Na+/K+-ATPase Gene Expression
This study examined how maternal exposure to acephate—an organophosphate-based insecticide—affected the renal development in rat offspring during adulthood. Virgin female Wistar rats were randomly allocated to three groups: group 1 (control) received sterile water; groups 2 and 3 were intragastrically exposed to low (14 mg/kg) and high (28 mg/kg) doses of acephate from day 6 […]
Why do women not use skilled birth attendance service? An explorative qualitative study in north West Ethiopia
Background: Having a birth attendant with midwifery skills during childbirth is an effective intervention to reduce maternal and early neonatal morbidity and mortality. Nevertheless, many women in Ethiopia still deliver a baby at home. The current study aimed at exploring and describing reasons why women do not use skilled delivery care in North West Ethiopia. […]
Village health workers as health diplomats: negotiating health and study participation in a malaria elimination trial in The Gambia
Background: Although many success stories exist of Village Health Workers (VHWs) improving primary health care, critiques remain about the medicalisation of their roles in disease-specific interventions. VHWs are placed at the bottom of the health system hierarchy as cheap and low-skilled volunteers, irrespective of their highly valued social and political status within communities. In this […]
Child dietary diversity and food (in)security as a potential correlate of child anthropometric indices in the context of urban food system in the cases of north-central Ethiopia
Objective: To investigate the relation of child dietary diversity and household food insecurity along with other socio-demographic with child anthropometric indices in north-central Ethiopia, an area with a high level of food insecurity and inadequate diet quality. Design: A community-based cross-sectional study was used. Settings: The study was conducted in Dessie and Combolcha towns of […]
Trends and determinants of teenage childbearing in Ethiopia: Evidence from the 2000 to 2016 demographic and health surveys
Background: Teenage childbearing among adolescents aged 15 to 19 is a common sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issue among young people, particularly in developing countries. It is associated with higher maternal and neonatal complications. Almost half (47%) of the population in Ethiopia are young people under 15 years old. Therefore, a clear understanding of the […]
Time for change is now: Experiences of participants in a community-based approach for iron and folic acid supplementation in a rural county in Kenya, a qualitative study
Background Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (IFAS) is recommended by World Health Organization as part of antenatal care to prevent anaemia in pregnancy. In 2010, Kenya adopted this recommendation and the current policy is to provide one combined IFAS tablet for daily use throughout pregnancy, free of charge, in all public health facilities. However, adherence […]
Mental health and psychosocial interventions integrating sexual and reproductive rights and health, and HIV care and prevention for adolescents and young people (10–24 years) in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic scoping review
Background: Interventions targeting combined sexual and reproductive health, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) management and mental health care in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are few. There is a need to address common determinants of poor mental, psychosocial and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) through multimodal and multipronged interventions for adolescents. The main objective of this […]
