Does anthropometric status at 6 months predict the over-dispersion of malaria infections in children aged 6-18 months? A prospective cohort study
Background: In malaria-endemic settings, a small proportion of children suffer repeated malaria infections, contributing to most of the malaria cases, yet underlying factors are not fully understood. This study was aimed to determine whether undernutrition predicts this over-dispersion of malaria infections in children aged 6-18 months in settings of high malaria and undernutrition prevalence. Methods: […]
What’s normal? Oligosaccharide concentrations and profiles in milk produced by healthy women vary geographically
Background: Human milk is a complex fluid comprised of myriad substances, with one of the most abundant substances being a group of complex carbohydrates referred to as human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). There has been some evidence that HMO profiles differ in populations, but few studies have rigorously explored this variability. Objectives: We tested the hypothesis […]
Multiple micronutrient supplementation in Tanzanian infants born to HIV-infected mothers: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial
Background: Multiple micronutrients (vitamin B complex and vitamins C and E) were effective at reducing infectious disease morbidity, HIV disease progression, and poor pregnancy outcomes in HIV-infected women. Objective: The objective was to evaluate whether direct supplementation of these micronutrients to HIV-exposed infants reduces mortality and morbidity. Design: Infants born to HIV-infected women from Dar […]
Measuring health system resilience in a highly fragile nation during protracted conflict: South Sudan 2011-15
Health systems resilience (HSR) is defined as the ability of a health system to continue providing normal services in response to a crisis, making it a critical concept for analysis of health systems in fragile and conflict-affected settings (FCAS). However, no consensus for this definition exists and even less about how to measure HSR. We […]
Monitoring childbirth care in primary health facilities: A validity study in Gombe State, northeastern Nigeria
Background Improving the quality of facility-based births is a critical strategy for reducing the high burden of maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity across all settings. Accurate data on childbirth care is essential for monitoring progress. In northeastern Nigeria, we assessed the validity of childbirth care indicators in a rural primary health care context, as […]
Impact of results-based financing on effective obstetric care coverage: Evidence from a quasi-experimental study in Malawi
Background: Results-based financing (RBF) describes health system approaches addressing both service quality and use. Effective coverage is a metric measuring progress towards universal health coverage (UHC). Although considered a means towards achieving UHC in settings with weak health financing modalities, the impact of RBF on effective coverage has not been explicitly studied. Methods: Malawi introduced […]
Effect of 12-month intervention with lipid-based nutrient supplement on the physical activity of Malawian toddlers: A randomised, controlled trial
Physical activity is beneficial for children’s well-being. The effect of dietary supplementation on children’s physical activity in food-insecure areas remains little studied. We examined the effects of a lipid-based nutrient supplement (LNS) on children’s objectively measured physical activity in a randomised, controlled, outcome-assessor-blinded trial. Mothers of the children received one capsule daily of Fe-folic acid […]
Food Insecurity and Maternal Diet Influence Human Milk Composition between the Infant’s Birth and 6 Months after Birth in Central-Africa
Although the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF recommend that infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life, evidence is scarce on how the mother’s undernourishment status at delivery and maternal dietary factors influence human milk (HM) composition during the first 6 months of life in regions with high food insecurity. […]
Evaluation of the effectiveness of a quality improvement intervention to support integration of maternal, child and HIV care in primary health care facilities in South Africa
Background: Despite policies and guidelines recommending integration of health services in South Africa, provision of maternal and child health services remains fragmented. This study evaluated a rapid, scaleable, quality improvement (QI) intervention to improve integration of maternal and child health and HIV services at a primary health level, in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Methods: A three-month […]
Women empowerment and skilled birth attendance in sub-Saharan Africa: A multicountry analysis
Introduction In 2017, the highest global maternal deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The WHO advocates that maternal deaths can be mitigated with the assistance of skilled birth attendants (SBAs) at childbirth. Women empowerment is also acknowledged as an enabling factor to women’s functionality and healthcare utilisation including use of SBAs’ services. Consequently, this study […]
