Assessing women’s satisfaction with family planning services in Mozambique

Background The contraceptive prevalence rate in Mozambique was estimated as 11.3% in the last Demographic and Health Survey. The impact of family planning (FP) on women’s health and on the reduction of maternal mortality is well known. Methods Acknowledging the importance of user satisfaction in the utilisation of health services, exit interviews were used to […]

Reasons for low utilization of intrauterine device utilisation amongst short term contraceptive users in Hossana town, Southern Ethiopia: a qualitative study

Background: Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are one of the long-acting, safe and effective methods of contraception in women across the world. However, this method is underutilised in many countries, including Ethiopia. Several quantitative studies have been used to address this problem and generated a list of factors associated with this problem. However, this list lacks detailed […]

Socio – economic determinants of abortion among women in Mozambique and Ghana: Evidence from demographic and health survey

Background: Despite the variances in abortion laws accounting for differences in incidence of abortion among African countries, it appears there is absence of literature on other factors that may also account for the differences in incidence of abortion. Specifically, there is paucity of information on how socio-demographic factors account for the disparities in prevalence of […]

Determinants of institutional delivery service utilization in Ethiopia: A population based cross sectional study

Background: The incidence of maternal mortality remains unacceptably high in developing countries. Ethiopia has developed many strategies to reduce maternal and child mortality by encouraging institutional delivery services. However, only one-fourth of women gave birth at health facility, in the country. This, this study aimed to identify individual level factors and to assess the regional […]

Adherence to intermittent preventive treatment for malaria in pregnancy in urban kano, northern Nigeria

Malaria in pregnancy is associated with substantial risk of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. The uptake of preventive antimalarials is low in malaria endemic countries, including Nigeria. Using a crosssectional study design, we assessed factors associated with uptake and adherence to intermittent preventive treatment for malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) among antenatal attendees in primary […]

Correlates of poor perinatal outcomes in non-hospital births in the context of weak health system: The nigerian experience

Background: Nigeria’s high perinatal mortality rate (PNMR) could be most effectively reduced by targeting factorsthat are associated with increased newborn deaths. Low access to skilled birth attendants (SBAs) and weak healthsystem are recognized factors associated with high PNMR but other socio-demographic and reproductive factorscould have significant influences as well. Identification of the major factors associated […]

Skin prick test reactivity to common allergens among women in Entebbe, Uganda

The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of atopic sensitization, and to identify common aeroallergens associated with atopic sensitization among women in Entebbe, Uganda, and to determine risk factors for atopic sensitization among those with and without a history of asthma or eczema. A case-control study was conducted within a trial of […]

Household Microenvironment and Under-Fives Health Outcomes in Uganda: Focusing on Multidimensional Energy Poverty and Women Empowerment Indices

Young children in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) are vulnerable to adverse effects of household microenvironments. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—specifically SDG 3 through 7—urge for a comprehensive multi-sector approach to achieve the 2030 goals. This study addresses gaps in understanding the health effects of household microenvironments in resourcepoor settings. It studies associations of household […]

Food insecurity and water insecurity in rural Zimbabwe: Development of multidimensional household measures

Background: With millions of people experiencing malnutrition and inadequate water access, FI and WI remain topics of vital importance to global health. Existing unidimensional FI and WI metrics do not all capture similar multidimensional aspects, thus restricting our ability to assess and address food-and water-related issues. Methods: Using the Sanitation, Hygiene and Infant Nutrition Efficacy […]

Characterizing potential risks of fecal–oral microbial transmission for infants and young children in Rural Zambia

Undernourished children in low-income contexts often suffer from environmental enteric disorder—damage to the intestines probably caused by chronic exposure to bacterial pathogens from feces. We aimed to identify strategies for reducing infants and young children’s (IYC) exposure to human and animal feces in rural farming families by conducting direct observation of 30 caregiver–infant dyads for […]