Trends and factors associated with declining lifetime fertility among married women in Kenya between 2003 and 2014: an analysis of Kenya demographic health surveys

Background Globally, fertility has declined in the last three decades. In sub-Saharan Africa Including Kenya, this decline started more recent and at a slower pace compared to other regions. Despite a significant fertility decline in Kenya, there are disparities in intra- and interregional fertility. Reduction in lifetime fertility has health benefits for both the mother and child, thus it is important to improve women and children health outcomes associated with high fertility. The study, therefore evaluated the factors associate with change in lifetime fertility among married women of reproductive age in Kenya between 2003 and 2014. Methods The study used the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) datasets of 2003, 2008 and 2014. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to calculate the mean number of children ever born and to assess the change in fertility across different factors. Poisson regression model with robust standard errors was used to study the relationship between number of children ever born (lifetime fertility) and independent variables. A Poisson-based multivariate decomposition for the nonlinear response model was performed to identify and quantify the contribution of demographic, socioeconomic and reproductive correlates, to the change in lifetime fertility between 2003 and 2014. Results The study included 3,917, 4,002, and 7,332 weighted samples of women of reproductive age in 2003, 2008, and 2014, respectively. The mean number of children born declined from 3.8 (95% CI: 3.6–3.9) in 2003 to 3.5 (95% CI: 3.4–-3.7) in 2008 and 3.4 (95% CI: 3.3–3.4) in 2014 (p = 0.001). The expected number of children reduced with the age at first sexual intercourse, the age at first marriage across the survey years, and household wealth index. Women who had lost one or more children in the past were likely to have increased number of children. The changes in the effects of women’s characteristics between the surveys explained 96.4% of the decline. The main contributors to the change in lifetime fertility was the different in women level of education. Conclusion The lifetime fertility declined by one-tenth between 2003 and 2014; majorly as a result of the effects of characteristics of women in terms of level of education. These highlights a need to implement education policies that promotes women education focuses on gender equality and women empowerment. Continuous strengthening of the healthcare systems (access to quality antenatal care, skilled delivery, and postpartum care) to reduce child mortality is essential

Birth preparedness and complication readiness among women of reproductive age in Kenya and Tanzania : a community-based cross-sectional survey

Background: Delayed health-seeking continues to contribute to preventable maternal and neonatal deaths in low resource countries. Some of the strategies to avoid the delay include early preparation for the birth and detection of danger signs. We aimed to assess the level of practice and factors associated with birth preparedness and complication readiness (BPCR) in Kenya and Tanzania. Methods: We conducted community-based multi-stage cross-sectional surveys in Kilifi and Kisii counties in Kenya and Mwanza region in Tanzania and included women who delivered two years preceding the survey (2016–2017). A woman who mentioned at least three out of five BPCR components was considered well-prepared. Bivariate and multivariable proportional odds model were used to determine the factors associated with the BPCR. The STROBE guidelines for cross-sectional studies informed the design and reporting of this study. Results: Only 11.4% (59/519) and 7.6% (31/409) of women were well-prepared for birth and its complications in Kenya and Tanzania, respectively, while 39.7 and 30.6% were unprepared, respectively. Level of education (primary: adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.59, 95% CI: 1.14–2.20, secondary: aOR: 2.24, 95% CI: 1.39–3.59), delivery within health facility (aOR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.15–2.29), good knowledge of danger signs during pregnancy (aOR: 1.28, 95% CI: 0.80– 2.04), labour and childbirth (aOR: 1.57, 95% CI: 0.93–2.67), postpartum (aOR: 2.69, 95% CI: 1.24–5.79), and antenatal care were associated with BPCR (aOR: 1.42, 95% CI: 1.13–1.78). Conclusion: Overall, most pregnant women were not prepared for birth and its complications in Kilifi, Kisii and Mwanza region. Improving level of education, creating awareness on danger signs during preconception, pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum period, and encouraging antenatal care and skilled birth care among women and their male partners/families are recommended strategies to promote BPCR practices and contribute to improved pregnancy outcomes in women and newborns

Prevalence and determinants of diabetes among older adults in Ghana

Background: Diabetes is one of the leading non-communicable diseases in Africa, contributing to the increasing disease burden among the old adults. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and determinants of diabetes among adults aged 50 years and above in Ghana. Methods: A cross sectional study based on data collected from Study of Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) Wave 1 from 2007 to 2008. Data was collected from 5565 respondents of whom 4135 were aged 50+ years identified using a multistage stratified clusters design. Bivariate and hierarchical multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the association of the determinants and diabetes. Results: The weighted prevalence of diabetes among the adults aged 50 years and above in Ghana was 3.95% (95% Confidence Interval: 3.35-4.55) with the prevalence being insignificantly higher in females than males (2.16%, 95% CI: 1. 69-2.76 vs. 1.73%, 95% CI: 1.28-2.33). Low level of physical activity (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] 2.11, 95% CI: 1.21-3.69) and obesity (AOR 4.81, 95% CI: 1.92-12.0) were associated with increased odds of diabetes among women while old age (AOR 2.58, 95% CI: 1.29-5.18) and university (AOR 12.8, 95% CI: 4.20-39.1), secondary (AOR 3.61, 95% CI: 1.38-9.47) and primary education (AOR 2.71, 95% CI: 1.02-7.19) were associated with increased the odds of diabetes among men. Conclusion: The prevalence of diabetes among old adults shows a similar trend with that of the general population. However, the prevalence may have been underestimated due to self-reporting and a high rate of undiagnosed diabetes. In addition, the determinants of diabetes among older adults are a clear indication of the need for diabetes prevention programme targeting the young people and that are gender specific to reduce the burden of diabetes at old age. Physical activity and nutrition should be emphasised in any prevention strategy

Factors associated with the use of long-acting and permanent methods among women in rural areas, baseline (2016) and end line (2020) survey, Kenya.

Factors associated with the use of long-acting and permanent methods among women in rural areas, baseline (2016) and end line (2020) survey, Kenya.</p

Anonymized dataset used in the analysis.

(CSV)</p

The population of the women aged 15–49 years included and excluded in the baseline analysis.

The population of the women aged 15–49 years included and excluded in the baseline analysis.</p

The population of the women aged 15–49 years included and excluded in the endline analysis.

The population of the women aged 15–49 years included and excluded in the endline analysis.</p

Provider and client perspectives on the use of maternity waiting homes in rural Rwanda

Background The World Health Organization recommends the implementation of maternity waiting homes (MWH) to reduce delays in access to obstetric care, particularly for high-risk pregnancies and mothers living far from health facilities, and as a result, several countries have rolled out MWHs. However, Rwanda has not implemented this recommendation on a large scale. There is only one MWH in the country, hence a gap in knowledge regarding the potential utilisation and benefits of MWHs. Objective To explore providers’ and clients’ perspectives on facilitators and barriers to the use of MWH in rural Rwanda. Methods We conducted a qualitative study to explore health providers’ and clients’ perspectives on facilitators and barriers to the use of MWH in Rwanda, between December 2020 and January 2021. We used key informant interviews and focus group discussions to collect data. Data were analysed using NVivo qualitative analysis software version 11. Results Facilitators included perceptions that the MWH offered either a peaceful and home-like environment, good-quality services, or timely obstetric services, and was associated with good maternal and neonatal outcomes. Barriers included limited awareness of the MWH among pregnant women, fear of health providers to operate the MWH at full capacity, women’s lack of autonomy, uncertainty over funding for the MWH, and perceived high user fees. Conclusion The Ruli MWH offers a peaceful environment for pregnant women while providing quality and timely obstetric care, resulting in positive maternal and neonatal outcomes for women. However, its existence and benefits are not widely known, and its use is limited due to inadequate resources. There is a need for increased awareness of the MWH among healthcare providers and the community, and lessons from this MWH could inform the scale up of MWHs in Rwanda