Effectiveness of screening and treatment of children with severe acute malnutrition by community health workers in Simiyu region, Tanzania: a quasi-experimental pilot study.

Health system constraints hamper treatment of children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in Tanzania. This non-inferiority quasi-experimental study in Bariadi (intervention) and Maswa (control) districts assessed the effectiveness, coverage, and cost-effectiveness of SAM treatment by community health workers (CHWs) compared with outpatient therapeutic care (OTC). We included 154 and 210 children aged 6-59 months with SAM [mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) < 11.

Maintaining Maternal and Child Health Services During the Ebola Outbreak: Experience from Pujehun, Sierra Leone.

Background: During the Ebola outbreak the overall confidence of the population in the national health system declined in Sierra Leone, with a reduction in the use of health services. The objective of this study is to provide information on understanding of how Ebola impacted maternal and child health services in Sierra Leone. Data come from an operational setting which is representative of the communities affected by the outbreak.

On the way to universal coverage of maternal services in Iringa rural District in Tanzania. Who is yet to be reached?

Background: Strategies to tackle maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa include expanding coverage of reproductive services. Even where high, more vulnerable women may not access services. No data is available on high coverage determinants.

Determinants of utilisation of antenatal care and skilled birth attendant at delivery in South West Shoa Zone, Ethiopia: a cross sectional study.

Background: Ethiopia has high maternal mortality ratio and poor access to maternal health services. Attendance of at least four antenatal care (ANC) visits and delivery by a skilled birth attendant (SBA) are important in preventing maternal deaths. Understanding the reasons behind the poor use of these services is important in designing strategies to address the problem.

Assessing coverage, equity and quality gaps in maternal and neonatal care in sub-saharan Africa: an integrated approach.

Background: Gaps in coverage, equity and quality of health services hinder the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 in most countries of sub-Saharan Africa as well as in other high-burden countries, yet few studies attempt to assess all these dimensions as part of the situation analysis. We present the base-line data of a project aimed at simultaneously addressing coverage, equity and quality issues in maternal and neonatal health care in five districts belonging to three African countries.

Methods: Data were collected in cross-sectional studies with three types of tools.