Developing and implementing a model of equitable distribution of mentorship in districts with spatial inequities and maldistribution of human resources for maternal and newborn care in Rwanda
Background: The shortage of health care providers (HCPs) and inequity in their distribution along with the lack of sufficient and equal professional development opportunities in low-income countries contribute to the high mortality and morbidity of women and newborns. Strengthening skills and building the capacity of all HCPs involved in Maternal and Newborn Health (MNH) is […]
Responding to the challenge of Adolescent Perinatal Depression (RAPiD): Protocol for a cluster randomized hybrid trial of psychosocial intervention in primary maternal care
Background: Adolescent pregnancy is a pressing public health issue globally, and particularly in low and middle-income countries. Depression occurring in the perinatal period is common among women and more so among adolescent mothers. Effective treatments for the condition have been demonstrated in adults but the needs of adolescents are often unique, making such treatments unlikely […]
Food insecurity, but not HIV-infection status, is associated with adverse changes in body composition during lactation in Ugandan women of mixed HIV status
Background: Body composition is an important indicator of nutritional status and health. How body composition changes during 12 mo of breastfeeding in HIV-infected women receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) is unknown. Objective: We assessed whether HIVor food insecurity was associated with adverse postpartum body-composition changes in Ugandan women. Design: A cohort of 246 women [36.5% of […]
Association of maternal KIR gene content polymorphisms with reduction in perinatal transmission of HIV-1
The role of killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) in the transmission of HIV-1 has not been extensively studied. Here, we investigated the association of KIR gene content polymorphisms with perinatal HIV-1 transmission. The KIR gene family comprising 16 genes was genotyped in 313 HIV-1 positive Kenyan mothers paired with their infants. Gene content polymorphisms were […]
Validity of self-reported use of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine intermittent presumptive treatment during pregnancy (IPTp): A cross-sectional study
Background: Malaria in pregnancy is a major health problem that can cause maternal anaemia, stillbirth, spontaneous abortion, low birth weight and intra-uterine stunting. The WHO recommends use of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) for intermittent preventive treatment of malaria during pregnancy (IPTp) in endemic areas. Towards monitoring and assessing IPTp coverage in the population, the Roll Back Malaria […]
Social determinants of antenatal care service use in ethiopia: Changes over a 15-year span
Background: Improving maternal health in Ethiopia is a major public health challenge. International studies indicate that it is possible to improve maternal health outcomes through action on the Social Determinants of Health (SDH). This study aimed to explore the SDH that influence the antenatal care (ANC) utilization in Ethiopia over time. Methods: The study used […]
Uptake of skilled maternal healthcare in ethiopia: A positive deviance approach
Risk factor approaches are often used when implementing programs aimed at enforcing advantageous health care behaviors. A less frequently‐used strategy is to identify and capitalize on those who, despite risk factors, exhibit positive behaviors. The aim of our study was to identify positive deviant (PD) mothers for the uptake of skilled maternal services and to […]
Magnitude, trends and determinants of skilled delivery from Kilite-Awlaelo Health Demographic Surveillance System, Northern Ethiopia, 2009-2017
Background The fundamental approach to improve maternal and neonatal health is increasing skilled delivery rate. Women giving birth at health institutions can prevent maternal and neonatal deaths by getting skilled birth attendance. In Ethiopia, despite a significant decrease in maternal mortality over the past decade, still a significant number of women give birth at home. […]
How Ethiopia achieved Millennium Development Goal 4 through multisectoral interventions: a Countdown to 2015 case study
Background 3 years before the 2015 deadline, Ethiopia achieved Millennium Development Goal 4. The under-5 mortality decreased 69%, from 205 deaths per 1000 livebirths in 1990 to 64 deaths per 1000 livebirths in 2013. To understand the underlying factors that contributed to the success in achieving MDG4, Ethiopia was selected as a Countdown to 2015 […]
Determinants of adverse birth outcome in Sub-Saharan Africa: analysis of recent demographic and health surveys
Background: More than 75% of neonatal deaths occurred in the first weeks of life as a result of adverse birth outcomes. Low birth weight, preterm births are associated with a variety of acute and long-term complications. In Sub-Saharan Africa, there is insufficient evidence of adverse birth outcomes. Hence, this study aimed to determine the pooled […]
