Implementation of a malaria prevention education intervention in Southern Ethiopia: a qualitative evaluation
Background: Though school-aged children (SAC) are at high risk of malaria, they are the ones that benefit the least from malaria prevention measures. A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of malaria prevention education (MPE) on insecticide-treated bed net (ITN) utilization and prompt diagnosis, reported incidence and treatment (PDAT) of malaria. […]
Pregnant women’s experiences with an integrated diagnostic and decision support device for antenatal care in Ghana
Background: Quality antenatal care (ANC) is recognised as an opportunity for screening and early identification of pregnancy-related complications. In rural Ghana, challenges with access to diagnostic services demotivate women from ANC attendance and referral compliance, leading to absent or late identification and management of high-risk women. In 2016, an integrated diagnostic and clinical decision support […]
The influence of family physicians within the South African district health system: A cross-sectional study
PURPOSE Evidence of the influence of family physicians on health care is required to assist managers and policy makers with human resource planning in Africa. The international argument for family physicians derives mainly from research in high-income countries, so this study aimed to evaluate the influence of family physicians on the South African district health […]
Effect of birthweight measurement quality improvement on low birthweight prevalence in rural Ethiopia
Background: Low birthweight (LBW) (< 2500 g) is a significant determinant of infant morbidity and mortality worldwide. In low-income settings, the quality of birthweight data suffers from measurement and recording errors, inconsistent data reporting systems, and missing data from non-facility births. This paper describes birthweight data quality and the prevalence of LBW before and after implementation […]
A pre-post study of a multi-country scale up of resuscitation training of facility birth attendants: Does Helping Babies Breathe training save lives?
Background: Whether facility-based implementation of Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) reduces neonatal mortality at a population level in low and middle income countries (LMIC) has not been studied. Therefore, we evaluated HBB implementation in this context where our study team has ongoing prospective outcome data on all pregnancies regardless of place of delivery. Methods: We compared […]
Essential newborn care practices for healthy newborns at a district hospital in Pemba, Tanzania: a cross-sectional observational study utilizing video recordings
Background: High-quality essential newborn care (ENC) can improve newborn health and reduce preventable newborn mortality. The World Health Organization recommends specific ENC interventions. Video recordings have potential as a tool for assessment of clinical care also in low and middle-income countries. Objective: To use video observations of healthy newborns to describe ENC practices in a […]
Promotion of early and exclusive breastfeeding in neonatal care units in rural Rwanda: a pre- and post-intervention study
Background: Early initiation of breastfeeding after birth and exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months improves child survival, nutrition and health outcomes. However, only 42% of newborns worldwide are breastfed within the first hour of life. Small and sick newborns are at greater risk of not receiving breastmilk and often require additional support for feeding. […]
Postpartum depressive symptoms in the context of high social adversity and reproductive health threats: A population-based study
Background: Postpartum depression is an important but neglected public health issue in low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this study was to assess postpartum depressive (PPD) symptoms and associated factors in a rural Ethiopian setting characterized by high social adversity and reproductive health threats. We hypothesized that infant gender preference would be associated with […]
Socioeconomic inequalities in teenage pregnancy in Nigeria: evidence from Demographic Health Survey
Background: Despite the high rate of teenage pregnancy in Nigeria and host of negative medical, social and economic consequences that are associated with the problem, relatively few studies have examined socioeconomic inequality in teenage pregnancy. Understanding the key factors associated with socioeconomic inequality in teenage pregnancy is essential in designing effective policies for teenage pregnancy […]
Malaria parasitemia and CD4 T cell count, viral load, and adverse HIV outcomes among HIV-infected pregnant women in Tanzania
We examined the cross-sectional relationships between malaria parasitemia and CD4 T cell count and viral load among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected pregnant women. We then followed women to investigate whether or not baseline parasitemia predicted CD4 T cell counts or viral loads > 90 days post-baseline or predicted time to HIV disease stage 3 or […]
