‘Birds of the same feathers fly together’: Midwives’ experiences with pregnant women and FGM/C complications – A grounded theory study in Liberia
Background: In Liberia, approximately 70% of the women of the North-Central and North-Western regions could have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in their childhood during a traditional ceremony marking their entrance into Sande, a secret female society. Little is known about FGM/C from Liberian women’s perspective. This study aimed to understand the health implications of […]
Key determinants of induced abortion in women seeking postabortion care in hospital facilities in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Introduction: Despite the universal recognition of unsafe abortion as a major public health problem, very little research has been conducted to document its precipitating factors in Burkina Faso. Our aim was to investigate the key determinants of induced abortion in a sample of women who sought postabortion care. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional household survey […]
Where there is no toilet: Water and sanitation environments of domestic and facility births in Tanzania
Background: Inadequate water and sanitation during childbirth are likely to lead to poor maternal and newborn outcomes. This paper uses existing data sources to assess the water and sanitation (WATSAN) environment surrounding births in Tanzania in order to interrogate whether such estimates could be useful for guiding research, policy and monitoring initiatives.Methods: We used the […]
Fortified balanced energy–protein supplementation during pregnancy and lactation and infant growth in rural Burkina Faso: A 2 × 2 factorial individually randomized controlled trial
Background Optimal: nutrition is crucial during the critical period of the first : 1,000 days from conception to 2 years after birth. Prenatal and postnatal supplementation of mothers with multimicronutrient-fortified balanced energy–protein (BEP) supplements is a potential nutritional intervention. However, evidence on the long-term effects of BEP supplementation on child growth is inconsistent. We evaluated […]
Family networks and infant health promotion: A mixed-methods evaluation from a cluster randomised controlled trial in rural Malawi
Objective Parents may rely on information provided by extended family members when making decisions concerning the health of their children. We evaluate whether extended family members affected the success of an information intervention promoting infant health. Methods This is a secondary, sequential mixed-methods study based on a cluster randomised controlled trial of a peer-led home-education […]
Women empowerment and health insurance utilisation in Rwanda: a nationwide cross-sectional survey
Background: Health insurance coverage is one of the several measures being implemented to reduce the inequity in access to quality health services among vulnerable groups. Although women’s empowerment has been viewed as a cost-effective strategy for the reduction of maternal and child morbidity and mortality, as it enables women to tackle the barriers to accessing […]
Sustainable under nutrition reduction program and dietary diversity among children’s aged 6-23 months, Northwest Ethiopia: Comparative cross-sectional study
Introduction: Adequate dietary diversity is vital for the survival, growth and development of infants and children. Inadequate dietary diversity is the major cause of micronutrient deficiency in Sub-saharan Africa, including Ethiopia, where only less than one-fourth of the children aged 6-23 months obtain adequate diversified diet. Thus country implemented a strategy known as the Sustainable […]
Determinants of health facility delivery among young mothers aged 15 – 24 years in Nigeria: a multilevel analysis of the 2018 Nigeria demographic and health survey
Background: Young mothers aged 15 to 24 years are particularly at higher risk of adverse health outcomes during childbirth. Delivery in health facilities by skilled birth attendants can help reduce this risk and lower maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. This study assessed the determinants of health facility delivery among young Nigerian women. Methods: A nationally […]
Child growth in urban deprived settings: Does household poverty status matter? At which stage of child development?
This paper uses longitudinal data from two informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya to examine patterns of child growth and how these are affected by four different dimensions of poverty at the household level namely, expenditures poverty, assets poverty, food poverty, and subjective poverty. The descriptive results show a grim picture, with the prevalence of overall […]
A tale of ‘politics and stars aligning’: Analysing the sustainability of scaled up digital tools for front-line health workers in India
Introduction India has become a lighthouse for large-scale digital innovation in the health sector, particularly for front-line health workers (FLHWs). However, among scaled digital health solutions, ensuring sustainability remains elusive. This study explores the factors underpinning scale-up of digital health solutions for FLHWs in India, and the potential implications of these factors for sustainability. Methods […]
