Predicting population-level vulnerability among pregnant women using routinely collected data and the added relevance of self-reported data.

Recognizing and addressing vulnerability during the first thousand days of life can prevent health inequities. It is necessary to determine the best data for predicting multidimensional vulnerability (i.e.

A cross-sectional analysis of factors associated with the teachable moment concept and health behaviors during pregnancy.

Background: Pregnancy is often associated with a change in health behaviors, leading some to suggest that pregnancy could be a teachable moment for lifestyle change. However, the prevalence and underlying mechanism of this phenomenon is not well understood. The aim of this study is to explore the prevalence of a teachable moment during pregnancy, the psychosocial factors that are associated with experiencing such a moment, and its association with actual health behaviors.

Observational Data for Integrated Maternity Care: Experiences with a Data-Infrastructure for Parents and Children in the Netherlands.

Introduction: Observational data are increasingly seen as a valuable source for integrated care research. Especially since the growing availability of routinely collected data and quasi-experimental methods. The aim of this paper is to describe the potentials and challenges when using observational data for integrated maternity care research, based on our experience from developing and working with the Data-InfrAstructure for ParEnts and childRen (DIAPER).

The Dutch Solid Start program: describing the implementation and experiences of the program's first thousand days.

Background: In 2018, the Dutch government initiated the Solid Start program to provide each child the best start in life. The program focuses on the crucial first thousand days of life, which span from preconception to a child's second birthday, and has a specific focus towards (future) parents and young children in vulnerable situations. A key program element is improving collaboration between the medical and social sector by creating Solid Start coalitions.

Monitoring the Dutch Solid Start Program: Developing an Indicator Set for Municipalities to Monitor their First Thousand Days-Approach.

Introduction: The Dutch Solid Start program aims to improve the collaboration between the medical and social sector to offer every child the best start in life. Municipalities form local coalitions of partners within the medical and social sector to support parents and children during the first thousand days. The aim of this study was to develop an indicator set for coalitions to monitor their local Solid Start program.

Ramadan Fasting during Pregnancy and Health Outcomes in Offspring: A Systematic Review.

Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, during which fasting is obligatory for all healthy individuals. Although pregnant women are exempt from this Islamic law, the majority nevertheless choose to fast. This review aims to identify the effects of Ramadan fasting on the offspring of Muslim mothers, particularly on fetal growth, birth indices, cognitive effects and long-term effects.

"We come as friends": approaches to social accountability by health committees in Northern Malawi.

Background: In Malawi, as in many low-and middle-income countries, health facility committees (HFCs) are involved in the governance of health services. Little is known about the approaches they use and the challenges they face. This study explores how HFCs monitor the quality of health services and how they demand accountability of health workers for their performance.

End-user involvement in developing and field testing an online contraceptive decision aid.

Objectives: Decision aids in the field of healthcare contribute to informed decision making. To increase the usefulness and effectiveness of decision aids, it is important to involve end-users in the development of these tools. This article reports on the development of an online contraceptive decision aid.

Informal social accountability in maternal health service delivery: A study in Northern Malawi.

Despite the expansion of literature on social accountability in low-and middle-income countries, little is known about how health providers experience daily social pressure and citizen feedback. This study used a narrative inquiry approach to explore the function of daily social accountability relations among maternal health care workers in rural Malawi. Through semi-structured interviews with 32 nurses and 19 clinicians, we collected 155 feedback cases allowing the identification of four main strategies social actors use to express their opinion and concerns about maternal health services.