Social circumstances and cultural beliefs influence maternal nutrition, breastfeeding and child feeding practices in South Africa

Background: Maternal and child undernutrition remain prevalent in developing countries with 45 and 11% of child deaths linked to poor nutrition and suboptimal breastfeeding, respectively. This also has adverse effects on child growth and development. The study determined maternal dietary diversity, breastfeeding and, infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices and identified reasons for such […]

Determinants of frequency and contents of postnatal care among women in Ezha District, Southern Ethiopia, 2020: Based on who recommendation

Background: Postnatal care is a constellation of preventive care, practices, and assessments intended to detect and treat complications for both the mother and the newborn in the first six following birth. Monitoring of the content and frequency of the PNC is required to make the service provision more successful. However, several studies centered on the […]

Improving access to skilled facility-based delivery services: Women’s beliefs on facilitators and barriers to the utilisation of maternity waiting homes in rural Zambia

Background: Maternity waiting homes (MWHs) are aimed at improving access to facility-based skilled delivery services in rural areas. This study explored women’s experiences and beliefs concerning utilisation of MWHs in rural Zambia. Insight is needed into women’s experiences and beliefs to provide starting points for the design of public health interventions that focus on promoting […]

The child survival impact of the Ghana Essential Health Interventions Program: A health systems strengthening plausibility trial in Northern Ghana

Background The Ghana Health Service in collaboration with partner institutions implemented a five-year primary health systems strengthening program known as the Ghana Essential Health Intervention Program (GEHIP). GEHIP was a plausibility trial implemented in an impoverished region of northern Ghana around the World Health Organizations (WHO) six pillars combined with community engagement, leadership development and […]

Prevalence and determinants of unintended pregnancy in Mchinji district, Malawi; using a conceptual hierarchy to inform analysis

Background In 2012 there were around 85 million unintended pregnancies globally. Unintended pregnancies unnecessarily expose women to the risks associated with pregnancy, unsafe abortion and childbirth, thereby contributing to maternal mortality and morbidity. Studies have identified a range of potential determinants of unplanned pregnancy but have used varying methodologies, measures of pregnancy intention and analysis […]

Healthcare utilization and maternal and child mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in 18 low- and middle-income countries: An interrupted time-series analysis with mathematical modeling of administrative data

Background The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had wide-reaching direct and indirect impacts on population health. In low- and middle-income countries, these impacts can halt progress toward reducing maternal and child mortality. This study estimates changes in health services utilization during the pandemic and the associated consequences for maternal, neonatal, and child mortality. Methods […]

Study protocol of a cluster randomized controlled trial of strategies to increase antenatal iron and folic acid supplementation and malaria prophylaxis in rural south-central Côte d’Ivoire

Background: Coverage of antenatal iron and folic acid supplementation (IFAS) and intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) remains low in many countries. Evidence on the most effective ways to increase both IFASIPTp is mixed overall, with only few studies directly identifying cost-effective ways to increase coverage of both interventions. The proposed study aims […]

Readiness of health facilities to provide emergency obstetric care in Papua New Guinea: Evidence from a cross-sectional survey

Objective To measure the readiness of health facilities in Papua New Guinea (PNG) to provide obstetric care and other maternal health services. Design Cross-sectional study involving random sample of health centres, district/rural hospitals (levels 3 and 4 facilities) and all upper-level hospitals operational at the time of survey. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data […]

Using Open-Access Data to Explore Relations between Urban Landscapes and Diarrhoeal Diseases in Côte d’Ivoire

Unlike water and sanitation infrastructures or socio-economic indicators, landscape features are seldomly considered as predictors of diarrhoea. In contexts of rapid urbanisation and changes in the physical environment, urban planners and public health managers could benefit from a deeper understanding of the relationship between landscape patterns and health outcomes. We conducted an ecological analysis based […]

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