Determinants of non-medically indicated cesarean deliveries in Burkina Faso.

Objective: To identify the factors associated with non-medically indicated cesarean deliveries (NMIC) in Burkina Faso in centers where user fees for cesarean delivery were partially removed.

Methods: We carried out a criteria-based audit in 22 referral hospitals, using data from a 6-month prospective observational study, to assess the proportion of NMIC. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with NMIC.

DECIDE: a cluster randomized controlled trial to reduce non-medically indicated caesareans in Burkina Faso.

Background: Since 2006, Burkina Faso has subsidized the cost of caesarean sections to increase their accessibility. Caesareans are performed by obstetricians, general practitioners, and nurses trained in emergency surgery. While the national caesarean rate is still too low (only 2 % in 2010), 12 to 24 % of caesareans performed in hospital are, in fact, not medically indicated.

Presence of three dengue serotypes in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso): research and public health implications.

Background: The significant malaria burden in Africa has often eclipsed other febrile illnesses. Burkina Faso's first dengue epidemic occurred in 1925 and the most recent in 2013. Yet there is still very little known about dengue prevalence, its vector proliferation, and its poverty and equity impacts.

Endorsement of universal health coverage financial principles in Burkina Faso.

In West Africa, health system funding rarely involves cross-subsidization among population segments. In some countries, a few community-based or professional health insurance programs are present, but coverage is very low. The financial principles underlying universal health coverage (UHC) sustainability and solidarity are threefold: 1) anticipation of potential health risks; 2) risk sharing and; 3) socio-economic status solidarity.

The elimination of healthcare user fees for children under five substantially alleviates the burden on household expenses in Burkina Faso.

Background: Since September 2008, an intervention has made it possible to provide free care to children under five in public health facilities in two districts of Burkina Faso. This study evaluated the intervention's impact on household expenses incurred for services (consultations and medications) to the children targeted.

Methods: The study is based on a survey of a representative panel of 1,260 households encountered in two waves, one month before and 12 months after the introduction of the intervention.

Factors Affecting the Uptake of HIV Testing among Men: A Mixed-Methods Study in Rural Burkina Faso.

Background: This study aimed to explore factors shaping the decision to undergo Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) testing among men in rural Burkina Faso.

Methods: The study took place in 2009 in the Nouna Health District and adopted a triangulation mixed methods design. The quantitative component relied on data collected through a structured survey on a representative sample of 1130 households.