Promoting access equity and improving health care for women, children and people living with HIV/AIDS in Burkina Faso through mHealth
Background In Burkina Faso, access to health services for women, children and people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) remains limited. Mobile telephony offers an alternative solution for reaching these individuals. The objective of the study was to improve equity of access to health care and information among women and PLWHAs by reinforcing community participation. Methods Using […]
Involving traditional birth attendants in emergency obstetric care in Tanzania: Policy implications of a study of their knowledge and practices in Kigoma Rural District
Introduction. Access to quality maternal health services mainly depends on existing policies, regulations, skills, knowledge, perceptions, and economic power and motivation of service givers and target users. Critics question policy recommending involvement of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in emergency obstetric care (EmoC) services in developing countries. Objectives. This paper reports about knowledge and practices of […]
Animal source food social and behavior change communication intervention among girinka livestock transfer beneficiaries in rwanda: A cluster randomized evaluation
Animal source foods (ASFs), including cow’s milk, contain essential nutrients and contribute to a healthy diet, but frequency of intake is low among children in low- and middle-income countries. We hypothesized that an ASF social and behavior change communication (SBCC) intervention implemented by community health workers (CHWs) would increase child milk consumption and dietary diversity […]
Breastfeeding knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy among mothers with infant and young child in rural Ethiopia
Background Breastfeeding has several benefits for both mothers and their children. Despite strong evidence in support of the practice, its prevalence has remained low worldwide, particularly in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study is aimed to assess breastfeeding knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy among mothers with index infants and young children in the rural community of Southwest Ethiopia. […]
Coverage of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) influences delivery outcomes among women with obstetric referrals at the district level in Ghana
Background: The aim of the study was to determine the coverage of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) and its relationship with delivery outcomes among obstetric referral cases at the district level of healthcare. Methods: An implementation research within three districts of the Greater Accra region was conducted from May 2017 to February […]
Unraveling PBF effects beyond impact evaluation: Results from a qualitative study in Cameroon
Introduction Performance-based financing (PBF) has acquired increased prominence as a means of reforming health system purchasing structures in low-income and middle-income countries. A number of impact evaluations have noted that PBF often produces mixed and heterogeneous effects. Still, little systematic effort has been channelled towards understanding what causes such heterogeneity, including looking more closely at […]
Exploring the acceptability of option b plus among hiv-positive nigerian women engaged and not engaged in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hiv cascade: A qualitative study
The acceptability of lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) among HIV-positive women in high-burden Nigeria, is not well-known. We explored readiness of users and providers of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services to accept lifelong ART-before Option B plus was implemented in Nigeria. We conducted 142 key informant interviews among 100 PMTCT users (25 pregnant-newly-diagnosed, […]
Prescription of antibacterial drugs for HIV-exposed, uninfected infants, Malawi, 2004–2010
Antimicrobial drug resistance is a serious health hazard driven by overuse. Administration of antimicrobial drugs to HIV-exposed, uninfected infants, a population that is growing and at high risk for infection, is poorly studied. We therefore analyzed factors associated with antibacterial drug administration to HIV-exposed, uninfected infants during their first year of life. Our study population […]
Low detectable postpartum viral load is associated with HIV transmission in Malawi’s prevention of mother-to-child transmission programme
Introduction: In 2011, Malawi implemented “Option B+,” a test-and-treat strategy for the prevention of maternal to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT); however limited data on viral load (VL) suppression exist. We describe VL suppression in HIV-infected women at four to twenty-six weeks postpartum, factors associated with VL suppression and the impact of VL suppression levels […]
The effectiveness and perception of the use of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine in intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy programme in Offinso district of ashanti region, Ghana
Background: Malaria in pregnant women has been shown to be associated with low birth weight, stillbirth and mortality in newborns. The WHO has adopted the use of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) to control malaria, a disease which worsens the plight of pregnant women leading to low birth weight, stillbirths and increased neonatal mortality. The present study assessed […]
