Optimizing knowledge and behavioral intention of women and their partners in the perinatal period in South Africa: a randomized control trial study protocol in the Tshwane district, Gauteng province, South Africa
Background: Maternal knowledge that motivates improvements in critical perinatal health behaviors has the potential to significantly reduce maternal and neonatal mortality. However, evidence-based health information often fails to reach mothers and their partners. mHealth video micro-messages, which disseminate evidence-based perinatal health messages, have the potential to address this gap. Methods: The study will make use […]
Determinants of exclusive breastfeeding among mothers of infants aged 6 to 12 months in Gwanda District, Zimbabwe
Background: In 2016, 98% of children in Zimbabwe received breastmilk, however only 40% of babies under six months were exclusively breastfed 24 h prior to data collection. A 2014 survey revealed that Matabeleland South Province had the country’s highest starvation rates and food insecurities were rife. This study aimed at investigating maternal, infant, household, environmental […]
Descriptive epidemiology of anaemia among pregnant women initiating antenatal care in rural Northern Ghana
Background: Anaemia in pregnancy is associated with adverse obstetric outcomes. When detected early in pregnancy, it can be treated; however, information on its prevalence and associated factors is limited in rural Ghana. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and maternal factors associated with anaemia in pregnancy at first antenatal care […]
Spatiotemporal distribution and bivariate binary analysis of antenatal and delivery care utilizations in Ethiopia: EDHS 2000–2016
Background: Antenatal care (ANC) is a maternal health care service given by skilled health professionals to pregnant women. Women may give birth at home or in health institutions. Home delivery care (DC) increases the likelihood of mortality of the mother and the newborn. Globally, each year nearly 303,000 maternal deaths occurred from complications of pregnancy […]
Using propensity scores to estimate the effectiveness of maternal and newborn interventions to reduce neonatal mortality in Nigeria
Background: Nigeria is the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa, with one of the highest neonatal mortality rates and the second highest number of neonatal deaths in the world. There is broad international consensus on which interventions can most effectively reduce neonatal mortality, however, there is little direct evidence on what interventions are effective in the […]
Impact of the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Coverage of Reproductive, Maternal, and Newborn Health Interventions in Ethiopia: A Natural Experiment
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and response have the potential to disrupt access and use of reproductive, maternal, and newborn health (RMNH) services. Numerous initiatives aim to gauge the indirect impact of COVID-19 on RMNH. Methods: We assessed the impact of COVID-19 on RMNH coverage in the early stages of the pandemic using panel survey data […]
Newborn care practices at home and in health facilities in 4 regions of Ethiopia
Background: Ethiopia is one of the ten countries with the highest number of neonatal deaths globally, and only 1 in 10 women deliver with a skilled attendant. Promotion of essential newborn care practices is one strategy for improving newborn health outcomes that can be delivered in communities as well as facilities. This article describes newborn […]
Geographical access to care at birth in Ghana: A barrier to safe motherhood
Background: Appropriate facility-based care at birth is a key determinant of safe motherhood but geographical access remains poor in many high burden regions. Despite its importance, geographical access is rarely audited systematically, preventing integration in national-level maternal health system assessment and planning. In this study, we develop a uniquely detailed set of spatially-linked data and […]
Individual-and community-level factors associated with anemia among children aged 6–23 months in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from 32 sub-Saharan African countries
Background: Anemia among children aged 6–23 months is a major public health problem worldwide specifically in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Anemia during the childhood period causes significant short-and long-term health consequences. However, there is a paucity of evidence on Anemia among children aged 6–23 months in SSA. Therefore, this study examined the individual- and community-level factors associated with […]
Prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with early motor, but not language development in a South African cohort
Objective:To investigate the association of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) and early neurodevelopment in the first 2 years of life, adjusting for maternal sociodemographic and psychosocial factors, in the Drakenstein Child Health Study (DCHS), a South African birth cohort study.Methods:The DCHS comprises a population-based birth cohort of 1143 children, of which, a subsample completed the Bayley […]
