Access and utilisation of antenatal care services in a rural community of eThekwini district in KwaZulu-Natal
Although the South African government adopted a primary health care approach to health care service provision in order to ensure equitable access to and utilisation of health care services to all communities, the country continues to face challenges regarding access and utilisation of health care services especially in the rural communities. Antenatal care which is […]
Justification of Women’s Right of Access to Safe and Legal Abortion in Nigeria
Abortion remains one of the most controversial, emotional and burning political issues of our time. Unsafe abortion is a serious public health problem and human rights issue. The pervasive criminalization of abortion in Nigeria is a serious obstacle to improving access to safe and legal abortion. Women’s lack of access to safe legal abortion is […]
Comprehensive approach to improving maternal health and achieving MDG 5: Report from the mountains of Lesotho
Background: Although it is now widely recognized that reductions in maternal mortality and improvements in women’s health cannot be achieved through simple, vertical strategies, few programs have provided successful models for how to integrate services into a comprehensive program for maternal health. We report our experience in rural Lesotho, where Partners In Health (PIH) in […]
Pooled prevalence and determinants of antenatal care visits in countries with high maternal mortality: A multi-country analysis
Background: Complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the leading causes of maternal and child deaths and disabilities, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Timely and frequent antenatal care prevents these burdens by promoting existing disease treatments, vaccination, iron supplementation, and HIV counseling and testing during pregnancy. Many factors could contribute to optimal ANC utilization remaining […]
Immunisation coverage among children born to HIV-infected women in Rakai district, Uganda: Effect of voluntary testing and counselling (VCT)
To evaluate the impact of maternal HIV-infection on routine childhood Immunisation coverage, we compared the immunisation status of children born to HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected women in rural Uganda. The study population was 214 HIV(+) and 578 HIV(-) women with children aged 6 to 35 months previously enrolled in a community study to evaluate maternal and […]
Reducing maternal deaths in Ethiopia: Results of an intervention programme in Southwest Ethiopia
Background In a large population in Southwest Ethiopia (population 700,000), we carried out a complex set of interventions with the aim of reducing maternal mortality. This study evaluated the effects of several coordinated interventions to help improve effective coverage and reduce maternal deaths. Together with the Ministry of Health in Ethiopia, we designed a project […]
Accounting for recent trends in the prevalence of diarrhoea in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): Results from consecutive cross-sectional surveys
Objectives: To analyse trends in diarrhoea prevalence by maternal education, access to clean water and improved sanitation, household wealth index; to identify the sources of variation and assess contribution of changes in socioeconomic characteristics in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Design: Consecutive cross-sectional surveys. Setting: DRC. Participants: The databases contain information on 9748 children […]
Understanding the Continuum of Maternal Morbidity in Accra, Ghana
The objective was to determine the levels of maternal morbidity from no complications to near miss and describe factors associated with different levels of morbidity. We conducted an observational study of all women delivering at a tertiary hospital in Accra, Ghana between October 2010 and March 2011. We examined the factors associated with the continuum […]
Household economic wealth management and antenatal care utilization among business women in the reproductive-age
We assessed the influence of wealth and selected socio-demographic characteristics on antenatal care (ANC) utilization among 900 women within the reproductive ages across eight rural communities in Delta State, Southern part of Nigeria. Both descriptive and predictive analyses were undertaken. The characteristics of the women were presented with the use of simple proportion and frequency. […]
mHealth outcomes for pregnant mothers in Malawi: a capability perspective
Reducing maternal mortality rate (MMR) by 75% by the year 2015 was the primary target for Millennium Development Goal 5. However, between 1990 and 2015 the MMR only fell by 50%. Sustainable Development Goal 3 aims to reduce the global MMR to 0.1% by the year 2030. Mobile technology for healthcare service delivery (mHealth) is […]
