Household Poverty-Wealth and Decision-Making Autonomy as Predictors of Reproductive and Maternal Health Services Utilization among Rural Women in Nigeria: Evidence from a National Survey
Background: Adequate reproductive and maternal healthcare services utilization are significant in reducing maternal deaths, however, the prevalence rate of contraceptive use remains low, with inadequate maternal health services utilization among rural women in Nigeria. This study examined the influence of household poverty-wealth and decision-making autonomy on reproductive and maternal health services utilization among rural women […]
Characteristics of pica behavior among mothers around lake victoria, Kenya: A cross-sectional study
Background: Pica, the craving and purposeful consumption of nonfoods, is poorly understood. We described the prevalence of pica among women on Mfangano Island, Kenya, and examined sociodemographic and health correlates. Methods: Our cross-sectional study included 299 pregnant or postpartum women in 2012. We used a 24-h recall to assess pica, defined as consumption of earth […]
Maternal exposure to intimate partner violence and uptake of maternal healthcare services in Ethiopia: Evidence from a national survey
Background Women exposed to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) often do not utilize maternal health care optimally both because of stigma and other social problems. The current study aims to explore an association between maternal healthcare seeking and violence exposure among Ethiopian women and to assess if educational attainment and wealth status moderate this association. Methods […]
“Good obstetrics” revisited: Too many evidence-based practices and devices are not used
Introduction: As countries are designing and implementing strategies to address maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity (Millennium Development Goals 5 and 4), it appears that a large number of evidence-based obstetric practices are not used in many settings, and this is a major obstacle to the improvement of quality obstetric care. Objectives: To remind readers […]
CD4+ cell count testing more effective than HIV disease clinical staging in identifying pregnant and postpartum women eligible for antiretroviral therapy in resource-limited settings
Objective: Identifying antiretroviral therapy (ART) eligible HIV-infected (HIV+) pregnant women and rapidly initiating treatment preserves maternal health and prevents mother-to-child transmission. However, there have been few investigations of the performance of ART eligibility criteria in pregnant and postpartum women in resource-limited settings. Methods: Pregnant and recently postpartum HIV+ women received CD4+ cell count and World […]
Operational issues and barriers to implementation of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hiv (PMTCT) interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa
Over the past 10 years substantial progress has been made in the implementation of prevention of mother-tochild transmission of HIV (PMTCT) interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In spite of this, new pediatric infections remain unacceptably high, contributing the majority (>90%) of the estimated 390,000 infections globally in 2010; and yet prolonged breastfeeding remains the norm […]
Reducing maternal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa through emergency obstetric care
The highest rates of maternal and infant mortality have been recorded continuously in Sub-Saharan Africa because pregnant women in this region have difficulty receiving expert emergency obstetric care due to the delay in seeking appropriate medical help, delay in getting to an appropriate health facility, and delay in receiving expert medical help after reaching the […]
Client education experiences and expectations of women at the first level of maternal and child care in Kaduna state, Nigeria
Purpose: to explore the client education experiences of women at first level maternal and child health-care facilities in Kaduna State Nigeria. The lack of access to appropriate information to assist women in making decisions about their health and utilize available services is recognized as a major contributory factor to the unabated high maternal and child […]
Women’s experiences in accessing maternal and child health services during the period of the armed conflict in the north of mali
Background: During the year 2012 armed conflict in the northern regions of Mali, health care services were no longer able to run in the normal way and women’s access to health services became a critical issue in those regions. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the women’s experiences in accessing maternal and […]
Predictors of health facility childbirth among unmarried and married youth in Uganda
Background Uganda has a high maternal mortality rate combined with poor use of health facilities at childbirth among youth. Improved use of maternal health services by the youth would help reduce maternal deaths in the country. Predictors of use of health facilities at childbirth among unmarried compared to married youth aged 15–24 years in Uganda […]
