Travel of pregnant women in emergency situations to hospital and maternal mortality in Lagos, Nigeria: A retrospective cohort study
Introduction Prompt access to emergency obstetrical care (EmOC) reduces the risk of maternal mortality. We assessed institutional maternal mortality by distance and travel time for pregnant women with obstetrical emergencies in Lagos State, Nigeria. Methods We conducted a facility-based retrospective cohort study across 24 public hospitals in Lagos. Reviewing case notes of the pregnant women […]
“Once the government employs you, it forgets you”: Health workers’ and managers’ perspectives on factors influencing working conditions for provision of maternal health care services in a rural district of Tanzania
Background: In many developing countries, health workforce crisis is one of the predominant challenges affecting the health care systems’ function of providing quality services, including maternal care. The challenge is related to how these countries establish conducive working conditions that attract and retain health workers into the health care sector and enable them to perform […]
Hospital admission following induced abortion in Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea – A descriptive study
Background: In Papua New Guinea abortion is restricted under the Criminal Code Act. While safe abortions should available in certain situations, frequently they are not available to the majority of women. Sepsis from unsafe abortion is a leading cause of maternal mortality. Our findings form part of a wider, mixed methods study designed to identify […]
Caesarean section rate in Nigeria between 2013 and 2018 by obstetric risk and socio-economic status
Objectives: Caesarean section (CS) can be life-saving for both mother and child, but in Nigeria the CS rate remains low, at 2.7% of births. We aimed to estimate the rate of CS and early neonatal mortality in Nigeria according to obstetric risk and socio-economic background and to identify factors associated with CS. Methods: We used […]
Are Ethiopian women getting the recommended maternal health services? The analysis of Ethiopian mini Demographic and Health Survey 2019
Background and Aims: Health services during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period play a pivotal role in the survival of both the mother and the baby. We, therefore, analyzed maternal health service utilization and the related drivers among women of childbearing age in Ethiopia. Methods: We used secondary data from the 2019 Ethiopian mini Demographic […]
Continuum of maternity care among rural women in Ethiopia: does place and frequency of antenatal care visit matter?
Introduction: The ministry of health (MOH) of Ethiopia recommends 4 or more focused antenatal care (ANC) visits at health centre (HC) or at a higher level of health facility (HF). In Ethiopia, few studies investigated time dimension of maternal health continuum of care but lack data regarding place dimension and its effect on continuum of […]
Determinants of Campylobacter infection and association with growth and enteric inflammation in children under 2 years of age in low-resource settings
Campylobacter species infections have been associated with malnutrition and intestinal inflammation among children in low-resource settings. However, it remains unclear whether that association is specific to Campylobacter jejuni/coli. The aim of this study was to assess the association between both all Campylobacter species infections and Campylobacter jejuni/coli infections on growth and enteric inflammation in children […]
Does healthcare voucher provision improve utilisation in the continuum of maternal care for poor pregnant women? Experience from Bangladesh
Background: Improving maternal health is a major development goal, with ambitious targets set for high-mortality countries like Bangladesh. Following a steep decline in the maternal mortality ratio over the past decade in Bangladesh, progress has plateaued at 196/100,000 live births. A voucher scheme was initiated in 2007 to reduce financial, geographical and institutional barriers to […]
A prospective study of maternal, fetal and neonatal deaths in low- and middle-income countries
Objective: To quantify maternal, fetal and neonatal mortality in low- and middle-income countries, to identify when deaths occur and to identify relationships between maternal deaths and stillbirths and neonatal deaths. Methods: A prospective study of pregnancy outcomes was performed in 106 communities at seven sites in Argentina, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Pakistan and Zambia. Pregnant women […]
Psychological interventions for maternal depression among women of African and Caribbean origin: a systematic review
Background: Maternal depression is a leading cause of disease burden for women worldwide; however, there are ethnic inequalities in access to psychological interventions in high-income countries (HICs). Culturally appropriate interventions might prove beneficial for African and Caribbean women living in HICs as ethnic minorities. Methods: The review strategy was formulated using the PICo (Population, phenomenon of […]
