Dissemination of the Spear & Shield Project using a Training of Trainers Model: A reflection on challenges and successes
Several large-scale clinical trials have conclusively demonstrated that voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) could provide a 50%-70% reduction in HIV acquisition, but willingness to undergo VMMC has been lowest in Zambia compared to other countries in eastern and southern Africa. This manuscript describes training for “task-shifting”among local healthcare workers at Community Health Centers (CHCs) applying […]
Modelling cost benefit of community-oriented primary care in rural South Africa
Background: Globally, rural populations have poorer health and considerably lower levels of access to healthcare compared with urban populations. Although the drive to ensure universal coverage through community healthcare worker programmes has shown significant results elsewhere, their value has yet to be realised in South Africa. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine […]
I haven’t heard much about other methods’: Quality of care and person-centredness in a programme to promote the postpartum intrauterine device in Tanzania
Background Programmes promoting the postpartum intrauterine device (PPIUD) have proliferated throughout South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa in recent years, with proponents touting this long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) method’s high efficacy and potential to meet contraceptive unmet need. While critiques of LARC-first programming abound in the Global North, there have been few studies of the impact […]
Counseling at all contacts for postpartum contraceptive use: Can paper-based tools help community health workers improve continuity of care? A qualitative study from Ethiopia
Background: Globally, there has been a resurgence of interest in postpartum family planning (PPFP) to advance reproductive health outcomes. Few programs have systematically utilized all contacts a woman and her baby have with the health system, from pregnancy through the first year postpartum, to promote PPFP. Nested into a larger study covering two districts, this […]
Sustainability of market-based community distribution of Sprinkles in Western Kenya
To evaluate the sustainability of market-based community distribution of micronutrient powders (Sprinkles®, Hexagon Nutrition, Mumbai, India.) among pre-school children in Kenya, we conducted in August 2010 a follow-up survey, 18 months after study-related marketing and household monitoring ended. We surveyed 849 children aged 6-35 months randomly selected from 60 study villages. Nutritional biomarkers were measured […]
Factors associated with adoption of beneficial newborn care practices in rural Eastern Uganda: A cross-sectional study
Background: Beneficial newborn care practices can improve newborn survival. However, little is known about the factors that affect adoption of these practices. Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted among 1,616 mothers who had delivered in the past year in two health sub-districts (Luuka and Buyende) in Eastern Uganda. Data collection took place between November and December 2011. […]
Determinants of full immunization coverage among children 12–23 months of age from deviant mothers/caregivers in Ethiopia: A multilevel analysis using 2016 demographic and health survey
Background: Despite remarkable improvements in child health services utilization, childhood immunization has been poorly implemented in Ethiopia. However, evidence on the coverage of immunization among children from mothers/caregivers with no education (non-educated mothers were the most identified risk for underutilization of services) are scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the determinants of full immunization […]
Person-centred maternity care in low-income and middle-income countries: analysis of data from Kenya, Ghana, and India
Background: Several qualitative studies have described disrespectful, abusive, and neglectful treatment of women during facility-based childbirth, but few studies document the extent of person-centred maternity care (PCMC)—ie, responsive and respectful maternity care—in low-income and middle-income countries. In this Article, we present descriptive statistics on PCMC in four settings across three low-income and middle-income countries, and […]
Impact of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine versus sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine on the incidence of malaria in infancy: A randomized controlled trial
Background: Intermittent preventive treatment of malaria during pregnancy (IPTp) with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) significantly reduces the burden of malaria during pregnancy compared to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), the current standard of care, but its impact on the incidence of malaria during infancy is unknown. Methods: We conducted a double-blind randomized trial to compare the incidence of malaria during […]
The use of formative research to inform the design of a seasonal malaria chemoprevention intervention in northern Nigeria
Background: Experience of seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) is growing in the Sahel sub-region of Africa, though there remains insufficient evidence to recommend a standard deployment strategy. In 2012, a project was initiated in Katsina state, northern Nigeria, to design an appropriate and effective community-based delivery approach for SMC, in consultation with local stakeholders. Formative research […]
