Observational studyBMJ global health2021
Indirect effects of COVID-19 on maternal, neonatal, child, sexual and reproductive health services in Kampala, Uganda.
Observational study in BMJ global health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 111 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
111 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 199 citations in OpenAlex.
- The impact of COVID-19 mitigation measures on neonatal health outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Public health · 2025Pooled it
- Barriers and facilitators to accessing and utilising sexual and reproductive health services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC health services research · 2024Pooled it
- Impact of COVID-19 on Maternal Health Service Uptake and Perinatal Outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Pooled it
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to and delivery of maternal and child healthcare services in low-and middle-income countries: a systematic review of the literature.Frontiers in public health · 2024Pooled it
- Educational films for improving perinatal outcomes associated with gestational diabetes in Uganda and India: a cluster randomised trial.BMJ global health · 2026Trial
- Safety and immunogenicity of an acellular pertussis vaccine containing genetically detoxified pertussis toxin administered to pregnant women living with and without HIV and their newborns (WoMANPOWER): a randomised controlled trial in Uganda.The Lancet. Global health · 2025Trial
- Health interventions and stakeholder roles in neonatal mortality reduction within low-income countries: A scoping review.Public health in practice (Oxford, England) · 2026Review
- Establishing the effect of COVID-19 lockdown policy on the utilization of facility-based delivery in Kenya: a multi-method study.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Delayed pregnancy disclosure, attributed social factors and implications for antenatal care initiation: a qualitative study among Ugandan women and their partners.Reproductive health · 2025Article
- Measurement of district health system strengthening efforts for maternal and newborn health service delivery: synchronized application of evaluation models in the West Nile region, Uganda, 2019-2021.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Hospital attendance, malaria prevalence and self-medication with an antimalarial drug before and after the start of COVID-19 pandemic in a sentinel site for malaria surveillance in Gabon.Malaria journal · 2025Article
- "Resilience amidst challenges": Healthcare users' experiences of access and utilisation of primary healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic in southwestern Uganda.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Missed Appointments and Associated Factors Among Children Accessing Anti-Retroviral Therapy During the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Western Uganda.HIV/AIDS (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2025Article
- Vaccine wastage rates and attributed factors in rural and urban areas in Uganda: Case of Mukono and Kalungu districts.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Exploring district implementation of national guidelines and maintenance of essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda.BMJ public health · 2025Article
- Incidence of small-for-gestational-age newborns in pregnant women with COVID-19.Revista brasileira de ginecologia e obstetricia : revista da Federacao Brasileira das Sociedades de Ginecologia e Obstetricia · 2025Article
- Unraveling the 'community effects' of interventions against malaria endemicity: a systematic scoping review.BMJ public health · 2024Article
- Seroprevalence of Cytomegalovirus Among Pregnant Women at Kawempe National Referral Hospital, Uganda: A Cross-sectional Study.Open forum infectious diseases · 2024Article
- Article
- COVID-19 related disruption and resilience in immunisation activities in LMICs: a rapid review.BMJ open · 2024Review
51 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
14 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCOVID-19 impacted global maternal, neonatal and child health outcomes. We hypothesised that the early, strict lockdown that restricted individuals' movements in Uganda limited access to services.
methodsAn observational study, using routinely collected data from Electronic Medical Records, was carried out, in Kawempe district, Kampala. An interrupted time series analysis assessed the impact on maternal, neonatal, child, sexual and reproductive health services from July 2019 to December 2020. Descriptive statistics summarised the main outcomes before (July 2019-March 2020), during (April 2020-June 2020) and after the national lockdown (July 2020-December 2020).
resultsBetween 1 July 2019 and 31 December 2020, there were 14 401 antenatal clinic, 33 499 deliveries, 111 658 childhood service and 57 174 sexual health attendances. All antenatal and vaccination services ceased in lockdown for 4 weeks.During the 3-month lockdown, the number of antenatal attendances significantly decreased and remain below pre-COVID levels (370 fewer/month). Attendances for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV dropped then stabilised. Increases during lockdown and immediately postlockdown included the number of women treated for high blood pressure, eclampsia and pre-eclampsia (218 more/month), adverse pregnancy outcomes (stillbirths, low-birth-weight and premature infant births), the rate of neonatal unit admissions, neonatal deaths and abortions. Maternal mortality remained stable. Immunisation clinic attendance declined while neonatal death rate rose (from 39 to 49/1000 livebirths). The number of children treated for pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria decreased during lockdown.
conclusionThe Ugandan response to COVID-19 negatively impacted maternal, child and neonatal health, with an increase seen in pregnancy complications and fetal and infant outcomes, likely due to delayed care-seeking behaviour. Decreased vaccination clinic attendance leaves a cohort of infants unprotected, affecting all vaccine-preventable diseases. Future pandemic responses must consider impacts of movement restrictions and access to preventative services to protect maternal and child health.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.