Greater household food insecurity is associated with lower breast milk intake among infants in western Kenya
Household food insecurity has been hypothesized to negatively impact breastfeeding practices and breast milk intake, but this relationship has not been rigorously assessed. To generate an evidence base for breastfeeding recommendations among food-insecure mothers in settings where HIV is highly prevalent, we explored infant feeding practices among 119 mother–infant dyads in western Kenya at 6 […]
Predisposing, enabling and need factors associated with skilled delivery care utilization among reproductive-aged women in Kersa district, eastern Ethiopia
Background: Skilled delivery care utilization in Ethiopia is still very low compared with the goal set by the global community for countries with the highest maternal mortality. As a result, the country is overburdened with high maternal morbidity and mortality. We aimed to explore the predisposing, enabling, and need factors associated with skilled delivery care […]
Institutionalization of limited obstetric ultrasound leading to increased antenatal, skilled delivery, and postnatal service utilization in three regions of Ethiopia: A pre-post study
Background A minimum of one ultrasound scan is recommended for all pregnant women before the 24th week of gestation. In Ethiopia, there is a shortage of skilled manpower to provide these services. Currently, trained mid-level providers are providing the services at the primary healthcare level. The aims of this study were to compare antenatal care […]
Wealth and Education Inequities in Maternal and Child Health Services Utilization in Rural Ethiopia
As part of the 2030 maternal and child health targets, Ethiopia strives for universal and equitable use of health services. We aimed to examine the association between household wealth, maternal education, and the interplay between these in utilization of maternal and child health services. Data emanating from the evaluation of the Optimizing of Health Extension […]
Poor Obstetric and Infant Outcomes in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Pregnant Women with Tuberculosis in South Africa: The Tshepiso Study
Background. Before the wide availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART), tuberculosis and human immunodefciency virus (HIV) disease among pregnant women resulted in poor maternal and neonatal outcomes, including high rates of mother-to-child transmission of both HIV and tuberculosis. We aimed to describe the impact of tuberculosis among HIV-infected mothers on obstetric and infant outcomes in a […]
Crossbreeding in beef production: Meta-analysis of breed means to estimate breed-specific effects on leather properties
The objective of this study was to discern opportunities for improving leather-making properties of hides originating from beef production systems based on indigenous Afrikaner cattle via crossbreeding. Data were previously unpublished breed means from purebred Afrikaner, Brahman, Charolais, Hereford and Simmental, top-crosses of Brahman, Charolais, Hereford, and Simmental sires on (1) Afrikaner dams producing F1 […]
Destigmatising abortion: expanding community awareness of abortion as a reproductive health issue in Ghana.
Traditional and cultural values, social perceptions, religious teachings and criminalisation have facilitated stigmatisation of abortion in Ghana. Abortion is illegal in Ghana except in three instances. Though the law allows for performance of abortion in three circumstances, the Ghana reproductive health service policy did not have any induced legal abortion services component to cover the […]
Factors associated with early childhood stunted growth in a 2012-2015 birth cohort monitored in the rural Msambweni area of coastal Kenya: A cross-sectional study
Background: Chronic malnutrition, often measured as stunted growth, is an understudied global health problem. Though poor nutritional intake has been linked to stunted growth, there is evidence suggesting environmental exposures may have a significant role in its occurrence. Here, we characterize the non-nutritional prenatal and postnatal factors that contribute to early childhood stunted growth in […]
A qualitative study assessing the acceptability and adoption of implementing a results based financing intervention to improve maternal and neonatal health in Malawi
Background: Results Based Financing (RBF) interventions have recently gained significant momentum, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. However, most of the research has focused on the evaluation of the impacts of this approach, providing little insight into how the contextual circumstances surrounding the implementation have contributed to its success or failure. This study aims to fill a […]
Maternal and perinatal outcome after previous caesarean section in rural Rwanda
Background: Offering a trial of labor (ToL) after previous caesarean section (CS) is an important strategy to reduce short- and long-term morbidity associated with repeated CS. We compared maternal and perinatal outcomes between ToL and elective repeat caesarean section (ERCS) at a district hospital in rural Rwanda. Methods: Audit of women’s records with one prior […]
