Stunting in infancy is associated with decreased risk of high body mass index for age at 8 and 12 years of age
Background: Effects of early-life stunting on adiposity development later in childhood are not well understood, specifically with respect to age in the onset of overweight and obesity. Objectives: We analyzed associations of infant stunting with prevalence of, incidence of, and reversion from high body mass index-for-age z score (BMIZ) later in life. We then estimated […]
Prevalence, progress, and social inequalities of home deliveries in Ghana from 2006 to 2018: insights from the multiple indicator cluster surveys
Background: Delivery in unsafe and unsupervised conditions is common in developing countries including Ghana. Over the years, the Government of Ghana has attempted to improve maternal and child healthcare services including the reduction of home deliveries through programs such as fee waiver for delivery in 2003, abolishment of delivery care cost in 2005, and the […]
Developing a task-sharing psychological intervention to treat mild to moderate symptoms of perinatal depression and anxiety in South Africa: a mixed-method formative study
Background: Symptoms of depression and anxiety are highly prevalent amongst perinatal women in low-resource settings of South Africa, but there is no access to standardised counselling support for these conditions in public health facilities. The aim of this study is to develop a task-sharing psychological counselling intervention for routine treatment of mild to moderate symptoms […]
Antidepressant-like properties of fish oil on postpartum depression-like rats model: Involvement of serotonergic system
Pathophysiology of postpartum depression (PPD) has been associated with many factors, such as neuroendocrine, neuroinflammation and neurotransmitter changes. Fish oil (FO) improves PPD both in humans and animals. However, little is known with regards to its pharmacology on a PPD-like rat model. Hence, the current study aimed at investigating the effects of FO on a […]
Determinants of periodontal health in pregnant women and association with infants’ anthropometric status: a prospective cohort study from Eastern Uganda
Background: Preterm-low birth weight delivery is a major cause of infant morbidity and mortality in sub Saharan Africa and has been linked to poor periodontal health during pregnancy. This study investigated predisposing and enabling factors as determinants of oral health indicators in pregnancy as well as the association between periodontal problems at 7 months gestational […]
Early infant feeding practices in three African countries: The PROMISE-EBF trial promoting exclusive breastfeeding by peer counsellors
Background: Immediate and exclusive initiation of breastfeeding after delivery has been associated with better neonatal survival and child health and are recommended by the WHO. We report its impact on early infant feeding practices from the PROMISE-EBF trial. Methods: PROMISE-EBF was a cluster randomised behaviour change intervention trial of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) promotion by peer […]
Health disparities across the counties of Kenya and implications for policy makers, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016
Background: The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2016 provided comprehensive estimates of health loss globally. Decision makers in Kenya can use GBD subnational data to target health interventions and address county-level variation in the burden of disease. Methods: We used GBD 2016 estimates of life expectancy at birth, healthy life […]
The magnitude and associated factors of immediate postpartum anemia among women who gave birth in east Gojjam zone hospitals, northwest- Ethiopia, 2020
Background Globally around half a million maternal death occurred annually related to labor and delivery of which twenty percent is contributed by post-partum anemia. Postpartum anemia contributes about two percent of total maternal mortality in Ethiopia. Immediate postpartum anemia is a common public health problem in most parts of the globe, being frequent in low […]
Prevalence and risk factors of malaria and anaemia and the impact of preventive methods among pregnant women: A case study at the Akatsi South District in Ghana
Aim This study aimed to ascertain the prevalence and risk factors of malaria and anaemia as well as the impact of preventive methods among pregnant women at the Akatsi South District Hospital of Ghana. Subjects and methods A hospital based cross-sectional study using simple random sampling technique was conducted among 200 pregnant women receiving antenatal […]
Frequent refresher training on newborn resuscitation and potential impact on perinatal outcome over time in a rural Tanzanian hospital: An observational study
Objectives Globally, perinatal mortality remains high, especially in sub-Saharan countries, mainly because of inadequate obstetric and newborn care. Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) resuscitation training as part of a continuous quality improvement (CQI) programme may improve outcomes. The aim of this study was to describe observed changes in perinatal survival during a 6-year period, while adjusting […]
