Maternal and Neonatal Health in Africa at MDG End: Open Access Papers from the International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics

By: Sarah Hodin, MPH, CD(DONA), LCCE, National Senior Manager of Maternal Newborn Health Programs, Steward Health Care

Last month, the International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics published a special issue, “Maternal and Neonatal Health in Africa at MDG End: Availability of and Access to Maternal Health Services, and Outcomes of Intervention Strategies.” The series of open access papers discusses the extent to which African countries have invested in maternal and neonatal health programs; facilitators of and barriers to health service utilization; and changes in maternal and neonatal health outcomes during the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) era. The majority of African countries did not meet the targets for MDG4 (reduce child mortality) and MDG5 (improve maternal health) by the end of 2015. Evaluating successes and failures along the way is crucial for developing strategies to achieve the maternal and newborn health targets of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Availability of maternal and neonatal health services

Availability and utilization of obstetric and newborn care in Guinea: A national needs assessment

Indicators of availability, use, and quality of emergency obstetric and neonatal care in Togo in 2012

Emergency obstetric and neonatal care needs assessment: Results of the 2010 and 2014 surveys in Burkina Faso

Men’s behavior surrounding use of contraceptives in Guinea

Use of services and strategies to improve access to maternal health services

A cross-sectional mixed study of the opportunity to improve maternal postpartum care in reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health services in the Kaya health district of Burkina Faso

Local initiatives to access emergency obstetric and neonatal care in Burkina Faso

Trends and changes in home deliveries in Kassena–Nankana districts in northern Ghana: Results from repeated cross-sectional surveys

Home births in the context of free health care: The case of Kaya health district in Burkina Faso

The role of transportation to access maternal care services for women in rural Bangladesh and Burkina Faso: A mixed methods study

Rate of and factors associated with indications for cesarean deliveries: Results of a national review in Burkina Faso

Determinants of non-medically indicated cesarean deliveries in Burkina Faso

Outcomes of interventions/strategies

Using routine health data and intermittent community surveys to assess the impact of maternal and neonatal health interventions in low-income countries: A systematic review

Prenatal care and pregnancy outcomes: A cross-sectional study in Luanda, Angola

A case–control study of risk factors for maternal mortality in Burkina Faso in 2014

Initial management of postpartum hemorrhage: A cohort study in Benin and Mali

Predictors of mortality of low birth weight newborns during the neonatal period: A cohort study in two health districts of Burkina Faso

Factors associated with very early neonatal mortality in Burkina Faso: A matched case–control study

Factors associated with fresh stillbirths: A hospital-based, matched, case–control study in Burkina Faso

Evaluation of the implementation and effects of an obstetric kit used in the Adamawa region of Cameroon

A case–control study of risk factors for surgical site infection after cesarean delivery in eastern Burkina Faso

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Read more about the transition from MDGs to SDGs and implications for maternal and newborn health in Africa.

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