Level of quality of option B+PMTCT service provision in public health facilities in Mekelle zone, northern Ethiopia: Cross-sectional study
Background: Substantial improvements have been observed in coverage and access to maternal health services in Ethiopia. However, the quality of care has been lagging behind. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the level of quality of Option B+ PMTCT in Northern Ethiopia. Methods: A facility based survey was conducted from February to April 2016 in […]
Spatial distribution and determinants of alcohol consumption among pregnant women in Ethiopia: Spatial and multilevel analysis
Background Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is a known contributor to teratogen and causes a range of effects on pregnancy and birth outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the spatial variation and determinants of alcohol consumption among pregnant women in Ethiopia. Methods A secondary data analysis was conducted using the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey […]
Towards stronger antenatal care: Understanding predictors of late presentation to antenatal services and implications for obstetric risk management in Rwanda
Background Early antenatal care (ANC) reduces maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality through identification of pregnancy-related complications, yet 44% of Rwandan women present to ANC after 16 weeks gestational age (GA). The objective of this study was to identify factors associated with delayed initiation of ANC and describe differences in the obstetric risks identified at […]
Achieving accurate estimates of fetal gestational age and personalised predictions of fetal growth based on data from an international prospective cohort study: a population-based machine learning study
Background: Preterm birth is a major global health challenge, the leading cause of death in children under 5 years of age, and a key measure of a population’s general health and nutritional status. Current clinical methods of estimating fetal gestational age are often inaccurate. For example, between 20 and 30 weeks of gestation, the width […]
Global, regional, and national burden of neurological disorders during 1990–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015
Background Comparable data on the global and country-specific burden of neurological disorders and their trends are crucial for health-care planning and resource allocation. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD) Study provides such information but does not routinely aggregate results that are of interest to clinicians specialising in neurological conditions. In this […]
Assessment of midwifery care providers intrapartum care competencies, in four sub-Saharan countries: a mixed-method study protocol
Background: We aim to assess competencies (knowledge, skills and attitudes) of midwifery care providers as well as their experiences and perceptions of in-service training in the four study countries; Benin, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda as part of the Action Leveraging Evidence to Reduce perinatal mortality and morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa project (ALERT). While today more […]
Health in times of uncertainty in the eastern Mediterranean region, 1990–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013
Background The eastern Mediterranean region is comprised of 22 countries: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Since our Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 (GBD 2010), the region has faced unrest as a result […]
Risk factors of stunting and wasting in Somali pre-school age children: results from the 2019 Somalia micronutrient survey
Background: Stunting and wasting in children less than 5 years of age are two key indicators of child malnutrition. Reducing their prevalence is a priority of the global public health community and for Somalia, a country suffering complex humanitarian emergencies such as drought, flooding, conflict and large-scale displacements. Methods: Data from the nationally representative cross-sectional […]
How much does malaria vector control quality matter: The epidemiological impact of holed nets and inadequate indoor residual spraying
Background: Insecticide treated nets (ITN) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) are the two pillars of malaria vector control in Africa, but both interventions are beset by quality and coverage concerns. Data from three control programs were used to investigate the impact of: 1) the physical deterioration of ITNs, and 2) inadequate IRS spray coverage, on […]
Prevalence and Socio-economic Impacts of Malnutrition Among Children in Uganda
Malnutrition is one of the common problems that afflict the poor in low- and middle-income countries like Uganda. The rate of decline of malnutrition in the country has been very slow for the last 15 years. This problem is of utmost concern in this era of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in which achieving the goals […]
