Early detection of maternal deaths in Senegal through household-based death notification integrating verbal and social autopsy: A community-level case study
Background: Reliable detection of maternal deaths is an essential prerequisite for successful diagnosis of barriers to care and formulation of relevant targeted interventions. In a community-level case study, the use of household-level surveillance in Senegal unveiled an apparent increase in maternal deaths, which triggered a rapid-cycle collaborative response to implement a multipronged set of quick-win […]
Experiences of a multiple intervention trial to increase maternity care access in rural Tanzania: Focus group findings with women, nurses and community health workers
Objectives: In order to improve maternal health and women’s access to maternity care services in Rorya District, Mara, Northern Tanzania, we introduced several interventions across the district from 2018 to 2019. The interventions were workshops with nurses to encourage respectful care of women and transportation subsidies for women to reach the health facilities for delivery. […]
The use of traditional medicine in maternity care among African women in Africa and the diaspora: A systematic review
Background: There is a paucity of literature describing traditional health practices and beliefs of African women. The purpose of this study was to undertake a systematic review of the use of traditional medicine (TM) to address maternal and reproductive health complaints and wellbeing by African women in Africa and the diaspora. Method: A literature search […]
Maternal depression symptoms are highly prevalent among food-insecure households in Ethiopia
Objective We aimed to evaluate the association between household food insecurity and maternal depression in Ethiopia. Design/Setting/Subjects In 2014, we conducted a cross-sectional study in southern Ethiopia, including 591 food-secure and 2500 food-insecure households. We measured depression status of women using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 validated for Ethiopia, with a cut-off of ≥5. We evaluated […]
Integrating Mental Health into Maternal Health Care in Rural Mali: A Qualitative Study
Introduction: Common perinatal mental disorders are prevalent in low- and middle-income countries. The gap between the need for and availability of mental health services, also known as the mental health treatment gap, is particularly acute for women during the perinatal period in rural Mali. This qualitative study aimed to identify a feasible and acceptable integrated […]
Maternal mortality and distance to facility-based obstetric care in rural southern Tanzania: A secondary analysis of cross-sectional census data in 226 000 households
Background: Access to skilled obstetric delivery and emergency care is deemed crucial for reducing maternal mortality. We assessed pregnancy-related mortality by distance to health facilities and by cause of death in a disadvantaged rural area of southern Tanzania. Methods: We did a secondary analysis of cross-sectional georeferenced census data collected from June to October, 2007, […]
A call to action: Addressing the reproductive health needs of women with drug-resistant tuberculosis
Although there is substantial risk to maternal and neonatal health in the situation of pregnancy during treatment for rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB), there is little evidence to guide clinicians as to how to manage this complexity. Of the 49 680 patients initiated on RR-TB treatment from 2009 to 2014 in South Africa, 47% were women and […]
Effects of a participatory community quality improvement strategy on improving household and provider health care behaviors and practices: A propensity score analysis
Background: Maternal and newborn health care intervention coverage has increased in many low-income countries over the last decade, yet poor quality of care remains a challenge, limiting health gains. The World Health Organization envisions community engagement as a critical component of health care delivery systems to ensure quality services, responsive to community needs. Aligned with […]
A mobile health wallet for pregnancy-related health care in madagascar: mixed-methods study on opportunities and challenges
Background: Mobile savings and payment systems have been widely adopted to store money and pay for a variety of services, including health care. However, the possible implications of these technologies on financing and payment for maternal health care services—which commonly require large 1-time out-of-pocket payments—have not yet been systematically assessed in low-resource settings. Objective: The […]
The association between women’s empowerment and reproductive health care utilization in Cameroon
Background: The context related to maternal mortality has improved over the past decade in Cameroon. However, the demand for reproductive health care use remains insufficient with regard to public health policy targets, and women’s empowerment is identified as a catalyst with a great potential. Objective: This study aims to analyse the association between the dimensions […]