Effects of COVID-19 on child health services utilization and delivery in rural Mozambique: a qualitative study.

Little is known about the COVID-19 pandemic-related disruptions in health services and the resilience of the health system response in rural low-resource settings. We conducted a phenomenological qualitative study (October-November 2020) to understand COVID-19-related influences on the utilization and delivery of child health services in Monapo district, rural Mozambique. We interviewed 36 caregivers with children <2.

A pilot to promote early child development within health systems in Mozambique: a qualitative evaluation.

Health systems offer unique opportunities for integrating services to promote early child development (ECD). However, there is limited knowledge about the implementation experiences of using health services to target nurturing care and ECD, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted a qualitative implementation evaluation to assess the delivery, acceptability, perceived changes, and barriers and facilitators associated with a pilot strategy that integrated developmental monitoring, nutritional screening, and early learning and nutrition counseling into the existing health facility, and community-based services for young children in rural Mozambique.

Barriers and facilitators to father involvement in early child health services: A qualitative study in rural Mozambique.

Engaging men and increasing their involvement as partners and parents can improve child health and development. Despite the increasing global evidence and advocacy around father involvement and caregiving, there remain few father-inclusive interventions for promoting early child health, especially within primary health systems in low- and middle-income countries. In this study, we explored community perspectives regarding fathers' roles in early child health services during the first three years of life to identify the barriers and facilitators to father involvement in Monapo District in northern, rural Mozambique.

A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of the Drivers of HIV Status Knowledge in Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Mozambique.

In Mozambique, more than a million children are living with HIV or are otherwise vulnerable due to HIV. In response to this crisis, the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief funds programs that serve orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV and their families. These programs retain case workers, known as activistas, who provide and refer beneficiaries to services to increase beneficiaries' knowledge of their HIV status and to improve retention in care among those living with HIV.