Ghana

A mixed-methods study to explore opportunities and challenges with using a mHealth approach to engage men who have sex with men in HIV prevention, treatment and care in Lomé, Togo

Ndola Prata
Karen Weidert
Doumenan Raphaël Soro
2025

Background: In Togo, men who have sex with men (MSM) experience disproportionately high rates of human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV), with prevalence at 13% compared to the countrywide general HIV prevalence of 2.5%. Mobile phone adoption has grown rapidly in West Africa in recent years and mobile
health (mHealth) provides an opportunity to engage high-risk populations in HIV prevention, treatment and care (PTC). This study focuses on the text messaging component of a mHealth program and resulting linkages to PTC in Lomé, Togo.

Methods: We used a mixed-methods approach to collect...

Abortion safety in Ghana: does motivation matter?. BMC Public Health

Karen Weidert
Jalang Conteh
Maureen Lahiff
Kim Harley
Ndola Prata
2025

In Ghana, abortion is restricted except on a few legal grounds. About 11% of maternal deaths in Ghana are due to unsafe abortion. This study investigated the association between abortion motivation (the primary reason women sought abortion) and abortion safety.

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Preventing Postpartum Hemorrhage at the Community Level: A Compendium of Operations Research

Ndola Prata
Martine M. Holston
2013

VSI in collaboration with local and international partner organizations conducted operations research (OR) across seven countries in Africa and Asia to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and program effectiveness of misoprostol use to prevent postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) at the community level. Developed for policy makers, stakeholders and researchers, the compendium includes an overview of the basic components of the OR model, country program summaries, and cross-cutting results and best practices to contribute to the growing evidence base on the community-level use of...

Distribution of Misoprostol at Antenatal Care Visits for the Prevention of Postpartum Hemorrhage in Ghana

VSI
2012

This brief summarizes the final results from a collaborative project of the VSI/Ghana Health Service pilot program in Ghana to address maternal deaths due to postpartum hemorrhage. The results demonstrate that the distribution of misoprostol through antenatal care visits increased the number of women who received protection from postpartum hemorrhage and is a key opportunity to reach more mothers with safe motherhood messages and ultimately reduce maternal deaths.

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