Background: Neonatal sepsis is one of the leading causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality during the neonatal period especially in the first week of life. The objectives of this study were to determine early breastfeeding initiation (EBFI) and the incidence of neonatal sepsis in in the first week of life in Chipinge District, Zimbabwe.Methods: After obtaining approval from the ethical institutional review board and Medical research council of Zimbabwe, a total of 200 healthy term neonates were recruited into a prospective cohort study within 24 hours of birth after the mothers had given an informed consent. Mother and baby pair was followed up at day 3 and day 7 to assess presence of infection using clinical checklist and physical examination.Results: The Pearson correlation was significant at 0.01 level (2 tailed) at day 3 and day 7. The findings revealed a significant association between EBFI and neonatal sepsis in the first week of life.Conclusions: Neonatal sepsis is one of the leading causes of death during the neonatal period especially in the first week of life. Findings of the study revealed a significant Pearson correlation at 0.01 levels (2 tailed) at day 3 and day 7. Delayed initiation of breastfeeding increases the risk of neonatal sepsis and about 33 % neonatal deaths can be averted if breastfeeding is initiated within an hour of birth.
This descriptive survey identified factors contributing to phlebitis among 46 adult inpatients using a systematic random sample. The visual infusion phlebitis score was used for assessment. All participants had phlebitis, with stage 4 being most frequent. Factors identified were gender (males-91.7%); immunosuppression (human immunodeficiency virus-63.0%; diabetes-100%; immunosuppressive drugs-100%; absolute leucocyte count <1000 μL-100%); number of catheters inserted (>1-90.9%); site of catheterization (dorsum of wrist-100%); catheter dwell time (2-4 days-100%); catheter gauge (18-gauge-75%); catheter securement (unsecured/contaminated dressing-90%); regularity of catheter flushing (catheter never flushed-72.7%); and continuous infusion (94.2%).
This study aimed at determining the factors associated with maternal and child health services uptake and their association with maternal and child health outcomes. Design and setting:The study was conducted in two districts in Mashonaland East namely Murewa and Seke in Zimbabwe. An analytical cross sectional study design was conducted between November 2016 and March 2017. Women with children 0-48 months who were being recruited for an interventional study were targeted with an aim of determining the baseline characteristics and comparability of participants in the intervention and control arm. A sample of 672 mothers was interviewed. Data was analyzed in SPSS version 20 and STATA 13. Main outcome(s):The study focused on maternal and child health outcomes. Results:The mean age for the women was 28.0 years (SD=6.8) and the mean birth weight for children was 3061 g (SD=537). Women had a mean weight of 62.5 kg (SD=11.5) and the mean number of children per woman were 2.6 (SD=1.5). In this study 154 (22.9%) of the participants booked for Antenatal Care (ANC) in the first trimester and 321 (47.7%) and 171 (25.4%) booking in the second and third trimester respectively. There was a statistically significant association between a child's gestational age and birth weight (OR=2.14; 95% CI: 1.22-3.75). Maternal complications were significantly associated with the number of children delivered prior to the last pregnancy (OR=4.4; 95% CI: 2.45-8.04). First ANC timing was strongly associated with the place of delivery (OR=2.84, 95% CI: 1.53-5.25) and so was ANC registration decision making (OR=3.52; 95% CI: 1.88-6.58). The weaning time was significantly associated with child morbidity (OR=5.28; 95% CI: 2.57-9.86). Conclusion:This study revealed that though there is a satisfactory health seeking behavior among pregnant and lactating women, there is still a significant gap in knowledge of critical recommended Maternal Neonatal and Child Health (MNCH) practices. Good knowledge and practices are essential in the reduction of preventable maternal and child morbidity and mortality. Universal maternal health access is only achievable if the women and the community take decisions about their own health in a supportive environment; hence the need to have community based interventions for maternal health access. The results of the study have shown that the quality and methods of delivery of antenatal care education need to reviewed to improve effectiveness of antenatal care.
Earlier studies conducted in Africa have generally generated evidence that women in low income countries have a high physical workload that is sustained during pregnancy. This high physical workload was believed to contribute to the high incidence of low birth weight. However, there are only few published studies on physical activity among pregnant women in low-income countries, and most have been based on questionnaires. This research aims to explore the status of physical activity and factors influencing physical activity in pregnant women in Africa. Pubmed, Scopus and Cinahl databases were searched with no date restrictions using the Mesh terms "pregnancy", "physical activity", "exercise" and "Africa". Articles were independently screened by 2 reviewers. A metaanalysis could not be done due to the heterogeneity of the articles hence a narrative synthesis of evidence was done instead. The results revealed a total of 5 articles from Africa. The major form of physical activity reported was household activities which fall below the recommended intensity during pregnancy. Physical activity tended to decrease as pregnancy progressed. The study thus, low levels of physical activity in pregnancy are prevalent in developing countries as well as in developed countries. However existing published data are too few to generalize to the whole of the African continent household activities.
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