Can community action improve equity for maternal health and how does it do so? Research findings from Gujarat, India
Background: Efforts to work with civil society to strengthen community participation and action for health are particularly important in Gujarat, India, given that the state has resources and capacity, but faces challenges in ensuring that services reach those most in need. To contribute to the knowledge base on accountability and maternal health, this study examines […]
A priori and a posteriori dietary patterns among pregnant women in johannesburg, south africa: The nuped study
Dietary pattern analyses allow assessment of the diet as a whole. Limited studies include both a priori and a posteriori dietary pattern analyses. This study aimed to explore the diet of pregnant women in urban South Africa through both a priori and a posteriori dietary pattern analyses and associated maternal and household factors. Dietary data […]
Missed opportunities along the prevention of mother-to-child transmission services cascade in South Africa: Uptake, determinants, and attributable risk (the SAPMTCTE)
Objectives: We examined uptake of prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) services, predictors of missed opportunities, and infant HIV transmission attributable to missed opportunities along the PMTCT cascade across South Africa. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 4-8 week old infants receiving first immunisations in 580 nationally representative public health facilities in 2010. This […]
Determinants of dietary diversity and its relationship with the nutritional status of pregnant women
There is little information regarding factors that determine dietary diversity among pregnant women in Ghana. The present study, therefore, sought to assess the independent predictors of dietary diversity and its relationship with nutritional status of pregnant women in the Northern Region of Ghana. The present study was an analytical cross-sectional survey involving 423 pregnant women […]
Determinants of maternal health service utilization in Ethiopia: Analysis of the 2011 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey
Background: Antenatal Care (ANC), use of skilled delivery attendants and postnatal care (PNC) services are key maternal health services that can significantly reduce maternal mortality. Understanding the factors that affect service utilization helps to design appropriate strategies and policies towards improvement of service utilization and thereby reduce maternal mortality. The objective of this study was […]
Quality of routine facility data for monitoring priority maternal and newborn indicators in DHIS2: A case study from Gombe State, Nigeria
Introduction Routine health information systems are critical for monitoring service delivery. District Heath Information System, version 2 (DHIS2) is an open source software platform used in more than 60 countries, on which global initiatives increasingly rely for such monitoring. We used facility-reported data in DHIS2 for Gombe State, north-eastern Nigeria, to present a case study […]
Maternal and health care workers’ perspectives on exclusive breastfeeding in the context of maternal HIV infection, in Busia county, western Kenya: a mixed methods cross-sectional survey
Background: World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for 6 months with maternal active antiretroviral therapy (ART) to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. However, EBF in low resource settings remains low. We explored perspectives of EBF by HIV-infected mothers and health care workers in Busia County with a high prevalence of HIV to understand factors […]
Progress and priorities for reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health in Kenya: a Countdown to 2015 country case study
Background Progress in reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH) in Kenya has been inconsistent over the past two decades, despite the global push to foster accountability, reduce child mortality, and improve maternal health in an equitable manner. Although several cross-sectional assessments have been done, a systematic analysis of RMNCH in Kenya was needed to […]
Maternal but not infant anti-HIV-1 neutralizing antibody response associates with enhanced transmission and infant morbidity
A significant number of infants acquire HIV-1 through their infected mother’s breast milk, primarily due to limited access to antiretrovirals. Passive immunization with neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) may prevent this transmission. Previous studies, however, have generated conflicting results about the ability of nAbs to halt mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) and their impact on infant outcomes. This study […]
Effects of an mHealth voice message service (mMitra) on maternal health knowledge and practices of low-income women in India: Findings from a pseudo-randomized controlled trial
Background: Mobile Health (mHealth) is becoming an important tool to improve health outcomes in maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH). Studies of mHealth interventions, have demonstrated their effectiveness in improving uptake of recommended maternal services such as antenatal visits. However, evidence of impact on maternal health outcomes is still limited. Methods: A pseudo-randomized controlled trial […]
