mHealth knowledge and usage in maternal healthcare delivery: perspectives and experiences of healthcare practitioners in Ghana.

Objectives: This study explored the knowledge and experiences of health practitioners regarding the use of mobile health (mHealth) for maternal healthcare delivery.

Design: Underpinned by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, this study was an exploratory qualitative design involving in-depth interviews. Data collection occurred between July 2023 and January 2024.

Individual and community-level factors associated with repeat induced abortion among women in Ghana: a multivariable complex sample logistic regression analysis of 2017 Ghana maternal health survey.

Background: Repeat induced abortion is a serious public health issue that has been linked to adverse maternal health outcomes. However, knowledge about repeat induced abortion and its associated factors among reproductive age women in Ghana is very scarce. The objective of this study is to examine individual and community factors associated with repeat induced abortion in Ghana which would be helpful to design appropriate programmes and policies targeted at improving the sexual and reproductive health of women.

The role of social support in antiretroviral therapy uptake and retention among pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV in the Greater Accra region of Ghana.

Introduction: The role of social support in antiretroviral therapy (ART) uptake and retention among pregnant and postpartum women in Ghana's capital, Accra, has received limited attention in the literature. This cross-sectional study extends existing knowledge by investigating the role of social support in ART adherence and retention among pregnant and postpartum women in Accra.

Methods: We implemented a cross-sectional study in eleven (11) public health facilities.

Association between water insecurity and antiretroviral therapy adherence among pregnant and postpartum women in Greater Accra region of Ghana.

Background: Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) can substantially reduce morbidity and mortality among women living with HIV (WLWH) and prevent vertical transmission of HIV. However, in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), more than 50% of new mothers discontinue ART and HIV care after childbirth. The role of water insecurity (WI) in ART adherence is not well-explored.

Charge midwives' awareness of and their role in promoting respectful maternity care at a tertiary health facility in Ghana: A qualitative study.

Background: Evidence suggests that the implementation of respectful maternity care (RMC) interventions is one of the surest and most effective means of minimising mistreatment during intrapartum care services. However, to ensure the successful implementation of RMC interventions, maternity care providers would have to be aware of RMC, its relevance, and their role in promoting RMC. We explored the awareness and role of charge midwives in promoting RMC at a tertiary health facility in Ghana.

Perspectives of healthcare workers on the challenges with obstetric referrals in rural communities in Ghana: a descriptive phenomenology study.

Objective: We explored and document healthcare workers' (HCWs') perspectives on the challenges encountered during obstetric referrals.

Design: The study adopted a qualitative research approach and a descriptive phenomenology design. HCWs permanently working in 16 rural healthcare facilities in the Sene East and West Districts composed of the target population for this study.

Exposure to substance and current substance among school-going adolescents in Timor-Leste.

Few studies have examined how exposure to substance influences adolescent's use of substance in Timor-Leste. We assessed this relationship using nationally representative data from Timor-Leste to address this gap. Data was pulled from the 2015 Timor-Leste Global school-based student health survey.

Multiple sexual partnership among adolescent boys and young men in Ghana: analysis of the 2003-2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey.

Background: Multiple sexual partnership (MSP) is a major cause of HIV/AIDS epidemic and unplanned pregnancies in sub-Saharan Africa. We investigate how individual, household, interpersonal, community and structural factors correlate with multiple sexual partnership of adolescent boys and young men in Ghana.

Methods: We pooled secondary data from the 2003, 2008 and 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Surveys (GDHS).

Inequalities in the prevalence of skilled birth attendance in Ghana between 1993 and 2014.

Background: Globally, maternal and neonatal health remains a public health priority, particularly for resource-constrained regions like sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Skilled birth attendance (SBA) is essential in promoting maternal and neonatal health. This study investigated the inequalities in the prevalence of SBA in Ghana using data from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) between 1993 and 2014.

HIV Testing among sexually active Ghanaians: an examination of the rural-urban correlates.

HIV testing is critical in reducing the risk of HIV transmission. We investigated the rural-urban correlates of HIV testing amongst sexually active Ghanaians using data from the 2017/2018 Ghana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Six (GMICS 6). Robust Poisson models (reporting Adjusted Prevalence Ratios (APR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs)) were used to achieve this aim.

Promoting respectful maternity care: challenges and prospects from the perspectives of midwives at a tertiary health facility in Ghana.

Background: Evidence shows that women in Ghana experience disrespectful care (slapping, pinching, being shouted at, etc.) from midwives during childbirth. Hence, evidence-based research is needed to advance the adoption of respectful maternity care (RMC) by midwives.

Rural-urban variation in exclusion from social activities due to menstruation among adolescent girls and young women in Ghana.

Menstruation among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) can be marked by several challenges that often result in exclusion from social activities. Information regarding this subject matter is however sparse in Ghana. This study examined the rural-urban differences in prevalence and correlates of exclusion from social activities due to menstruation among AGYW in Ghana.

Bullying and truancy amongst school-going adolescents in Timor-Leste: results from the 2015 global school-based health survey.

Introduction: Studies in Southeast Asia found that bullying commonly occurred among students, and it has a detrimental impact on their school attendance. However, there is a paucity of literature in Timor-Leste on the association between bullying and truancy. Therefore, this study examined the association between bullying and truancy among Timor-Leste school-going adolescents.

Determinants of life satisfaction among Ghanaians aged 15 to 49 years: A further analysis of the 2017/2018 Multiple Cluster Indicator Survey.

The inclusion of life satisfaction in government policies as a tracker of the social and economic progress of citizens has been recommended. This has encouraged the scientific investigation of life satisfaction levels of people in tandem with factors responsible for these levels. Only a few studies have attempted to do this in Ghana with mixed findings.

Prevalence and sociodemographic factors associated with vision difficulties in Ghana, Gambia, and Togo: a multi-country analysis of recent multiple Indicator cluster surveys.

Background: The sense of sight is one of the important human sensory abilities that is required for independent functioning and survival. The highest burden of sight-related problems is recorded in low-and middle-income countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the burden, nationally representative analyses to understand the prevalence and determinants of vision difficulties are hard to find.

Relationship between mothers'/caregivers' reported learning difficulty and internalizing symptoms (anxiety and depression) of children aged 5-17 years in Ghana.

Background: Children with learning difficulties are vulnerable to internalizing symptoms, particularly anxiety and depression. However, only few studies have examined this relationship in low-and-middle-income countries using a nationally representative data.

Aims: This study aimed to examine the relationship between learning difficulty and internalizing symptoms of children aged 5-17 years in Ghana while controlling for covariates.

Job satisfaction among healthcare workers in Ghana and Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic: Role of perceived preparedness, stress, and burnout.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected job satisfaction among healthcare workers; yet this has not been empirically examined in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We addressed this gap by examining job satisfaction and associated factors among healthcare workers in Ghana and Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a cross-sectional study with healthcare workers (N = 1012).

Rural-urban dimensions of the perception of malaria severity and practice of malaria preventive measures: insight from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey.

Morbidities and mortalities caused by malaria are still a serious issue in Nigeria, with the country accounting for 25% of malaria morbidities and 24% of malaria mortalities globally in 2018. Treated bed nets reduce the incidence of malaria, but not all Nigerians use them. This study aimed to examine the factors associated with treated bed net usage, including perceived severity of malaria, and the rural-urban differences in the relationship between socio-demographic factors and use of treated bed nets in Nigeria.

A predictive model, and predictors of under-five child malaria prevalence in Ghana: How do LASSO, Ridge and Elastic net regression approaches compare?

Malaria is among the leading causes of mortality and morbidity among children in Ghana. Therefore, identifying the predictors of malaria prevalence in children under-five is among the priorities of the global health agenda. In Ghana, the paradigm shifts from using traditional statistics to machine learning techniques to identifying predictors of malaria prevalence are scarce.

Geographical variations and factors associated with recent HIV testing prevalence in Ghana: spatial mapping and complex survey analyses of the 2014 demographic and health surveys.

Objective: To examine the factors associated with recent HIV testing and to develop an HIV testing prevalence surface map using spatial interpolation techniques to identify geographical areas with low and high HIV testing rates in Ghana.

Design: Secondary analysis of Demographic and Health Survey.

Setting: Rural and urban Ghana PARTICIPANTS: The study sample comprised 9380 women and 3854 men of 15-49 years.