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Matilda Aberese-Ako

Save the Children

56 publications · 720 citations · ORCID 0000-0002-1577-5939

Malaria Research and ControlGlobal Maternal and Child HealthVaccine Coverage and HesitancyPregnancy and Medication ImpactPneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia detection and treatment

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Matilda Aberese-Ako specializes in public health research in Ghana, focusing initially on health systems governance, specifically leadership dynamics and frontline health worker motivation in maternal care settings. Aberese-Ako's work evolved to encompass the implementation and socio-cultural determinants of malaria in pregnancy interventions, and recently expanded to include COVID-19 response, community engagement, and broader infectious disease control.

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What is the comparative effectiveness of telemedicine versus traditional in-person care in maintaining essential antenatal coverage and reducing maternal mortality in low-income and middle-income countries during future health system shocks?

Why this gap exists: While abstracts [4], [7], [8], and [9] discuss digital tools and maternity care in low- and middle-income countries, none provide a direct comparative effectiveness analysis of telemedicine versus in-person care regarding maternal mortality during health system shocks, leaving the specific question unresolved.

Sources

  1. COVID-19 and resilience of healthcare systems in ten countries — Nature Medicine, 2022
  2. Community Health Workers Can Provide Psychosocial Support to the People During COVID-19 and Beyond in Low- and Middle- Income Countries — Frontiers in Public Health, 2021
  3. Social Impacts and Responses Related to COVID-19 in Low- and Middle-income Countries — OpenDocs (Institute of Development Studies), 2020
  4. Seizing the moment to rethink health systems — The Lancet Global Health, 2021
  5. Use of mHealth in promoting maternal and child health in “BIMARU” states of India “A health system strengthening strategy”: Systematic literature review — PLOS Digital Health, 2024
  6. Investments for effective functionality of health systems towards Universal Health Coverage in Africa: A scoping review — PLOS Global Public Health, 2022
  7. Infant and young child feeding — OECD eBooks, 2023
  8. Facilitators and barriers to the implementation of a Mobile Health Wallet for pregnancy-related health care: A qualitative study of stakeholders’ perceptions in Madagascar — PLoS ONE, 2020
  9. The impact of digital interventions on health insurance coverage for reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health services utilization in Kakamega, Kenya: a cluster randomized controlled trial — Health Policy and Planning, 2024
  10. Seeking digital maternity healthcare during the pandemic health system shock: a systematic review of women's experiences in low- and middle-income countries — Frontiers in Reproductive Health, 2026

How do specific policy interventions aimed at improving female education and labor force participation accelerate the 'maternal mortality transition' in regions currently experiencing high maternal mortality?

Why this gap exists: While the retrieved literature establishes links between female education, political power, and health outcomes (e.g., [3], [6], [9]), no study directly addresses how specific labor or education policy interventions accelerate the 'maternal mortality transition' in high-mortality regions, leaving the mechanism and impact of such specific policies unresolved.

Sources

  1. Global burden and strength of evidence for 88 risk factors in 204 countries and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 — The Lancet, 2024
  2. Global age-sex-specific mortality, life expectancy, and population estimates in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1950–2021, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 — The Lancet, 2024
  3. Determinants of female labor force participation: implications for policy in Qatar — Cogent Social Sciences, 2022
  4. Maternal Mortality and Women’s Political Power — Journal of the European Economic Association, 2023
  5. The labor force participation of Indian women before and after widowhood — Demographic Research, 2020
  6. The public health effects of interventions similar to basic income: a scoping review — The Lancet Public Health, 2020
  7. Differential impact of maternal education on under-five mortality in rural and urban India — Health & Place, 2023
  8. Public Health Expenditure and Under-five Mortality in Nigeria: An Overview for Policy Intervention — Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 2020
  9. Efficacy of companion-integrated childbirth preparation for childbirth fear, self-efficacy, and maternal support in primigravid women in Malawi — BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 2020
  10. The contribution of female health to economic development — The Economic Journal, 2020

How does the consumption of plant-based proteins, specifically those high in anti-nutritional factors like phytates and trypsin inhibitors, affect mineral bioavailability and growth outcomes in children relying on these proteins as primary staples?

Why this gap exists: While the retrieved papers confirm that anti-nutritional factors like phytates and trypsin inhibitors reduce mineral bioavailability [0, 2], they focus on general adult health or crop improvement [1, 6] and do not provide direct evidence on the specific growth outcomes in children relying on these proteins as primary staples.

Sources

  1. Plant food anti-nutritional factors and their reduction strategies: an overview — Food Production Processing and Nutrition, 2020
  2. Sustaining Protein Nutrition Through Plant-Based Foods — Frontiers in Nutrition, 2022
  3. Is There Such a Thing as “Anti-Nutrients”? A Narrative Review of Perceived Problematic Plant Compounds — Nutrients, 2020
  4. Faba Bean: An Untapped Source of Quality Plant Proteins and Bioactives — Nutrients, 2022
  5. Nutritional properties and health aspects of pulses and their use in plant‐based yogurt alternatives — Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 2021
  6. Grains – a major source of sustainable protein for health — Nutrition Reviews, 2021
  7. Healthy and Resilient Cereals and Pseudo-Cereals for Marginal Agriculture: Molecular Advances for Improving Nutrient Bioavailability — Frontiers in Genetics, 2020
  8. Protein Quality in Perspective: A Review of Protein Quality Metrics and Their Applications — Nutrients, 2022
  9. Health Benefits of Plant-Based Nutrition: Focus on Beans in Cardiometabolic Diseases — Nutrients, 2021
  10. Bioavailability of Micronutrients From Nutrient-Dense Whole Foods: Zooming in on Dairy, Vegetables, and Fruits — Frontiers in Nutrition, 2020

Publications

Barriers to the application of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) results: the case of COVID-19 vaccine deployment in Ghana

International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care · 2026 · 1 citations

Household characteristics, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and malaria prevalence among children aged 6–59 months in Ghana: an analysis of the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey

Malaria Journal · 2026 · 1 citations

Lessons from the application of implementation research (IR) to real-life policy decisions: the case study of the Ghana SAVING Consortium

Research Square · 2026

Peer Review Report For: Did the emergence of the Omicron variant impact the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in the Arab world? A Twitter-based sentiment analysis [version 2; peer review: 1 not approved]

2026 · corresponding author

Motivators and barriers to water intake among university students in Ghana: a qualitative study using in-depth interviews

Discover Public Health · 2026

Additional file 3 of Knowledge, attitudes, practices, and future intentions to use intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine among pregnant women in southern Ghana

Figshare · 2026

Additional file 2 of Knowledge, attitudes, practices, and future intentions to use intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine among pregnant women in southern Ghana

Figshare · 2026

Additional file 1 of Knowledge, attitudes, practices, and future intentions to use intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine among pregnant women in southern Ghana

Figshare · 2026

Additional file 1 of Knowledge, attitudes, practices, and future intentions to use intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine among pregnant women in southern Ghana

Figshare · 2026

Additional file 2 of Knowledge, attitudes, practices, and future intentions to use intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine among pregnant women in southern Ghana

Figshare · 2026

Additional file 3 of Knowledge, attitudes, practices, and future intentions to use intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine among pregnant women in southern Ghana

Figshare · 2026

Institutional Drug Information Dissemination in Ghana: Barriers, Enablers, and System-Level insights

Research Square · 2026

The Persistence of High Maternal Anaemia and Low Birthweight Despite Declining Malaria Transmission and Prevalence in Ghana

Pathogens · 2026

Fake news, misinformation, vaccine hesitancy and the role of community engagement in COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Southern Ghana

PLoS ONE · 2025 · corresponding author · 15 citations

Malaria and anaemia prevalence and associated factors among pregnant women initiating antenatal care in two regions in Ghana: an analytical cross-sectional study

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · 2025 · 9 citations

Assessing the socio-cognitive determinants of personal protective equipment uses among domestic waste collectors in the Ho municipality, Ghana: A cross-sectional study

PLoS ONE · 2025 · corresponding author · 1 citations

Knowledge, attitudes, practices, and future intentions to use intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine among pregnant women in southern Ghana

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · 2025

Five Year Trend (2017 – 2021), Causes and Contributory Factors of Maternal Mortality in Health Facilities in the HO Municipality, Volta Region, Ghana

Research Square · 2025

Media exposure and knowledge of the ovulation cycle among adolescent girls who experienced menarche in Ghana: Evidence from the 2022 Demographic and Health Survey

medRxiv · 2025

The role of community engagement toward ensuring healthy lives: a case study of COVID-19 management in two Ghanaian municipalities

Frontiers in Public Health · 2024 · corresponding author · 9 citations

Predictors of sexual and reproductive health knowledge and utilization of services among adolescents in Ghana’s Adaklu district

Ghana Medical Journal · 2024 · 7 citations

“ <i>People will not even bring out their children to be immunised, because of the corona vaccine</i> ”: fake news, misinformation, vaccine hesitancy and the role of community engagement in COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Southern Ghana

medRxiv · 2024

Malaria Prevalence and Macroeconomic Output in Ghana, 1990 to 2019

INQUIRY The Journal of Health Care Organization Provision and Financing · 2024

Promoting COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance through Community Engagement: An Ethnographic Study in Ghana

Advances in Public Health · 2023 · corresponding author · 20 citations

An Ethnographic Study of Multiple Factors Influencing Perceptions, Attitudes, and Observance of COVID-19 Preventive Measures among Rural and Urban Slum Dwellers in Ghana

Journal of Environmental and Public Health · 2023 · corresponding author · 13 citations

A qualitative study of infection prevention and control practices in the maternal units of two Ghanaian hospitals

Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control · 2023 · 8 citations

Informal payments and willingness to pay informally for health care among older adults: equity perspectives for geriatric care in Ghana

Journal of Global Health Science · 2023 · 5 citations

A qualitative study of infection prevention and control practices in the maternal units of two Ghanaian hospitals

Research Square · 2023

Socio-cultural factors associated with knowledge, attitudes and menstrual hygiene practices among Junior High School adolescent girls in the Kpando district of Ghana: A mixed method study

PLoS ONE · 2022 · 50 citations

Malaria in pregnancy control and pregnancy outcomes: a decade’s overview using Ghana’s DHIMS II data

Malaria Journal · 2022 · 30 citations

The socio-economic and health effects of COVID-19 among rural and urban-slum dwellers in Ghana: A mixed methods approach

PLoS ONE · 2022 · corresponding author · 25 citations

“Our Work, Our Health, No One’s Concern”: Domestic Waste Collectors’ Perceptions of Occupational Safety and Self-Reported Health Issues in an Urban Town in Ghana

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2022 · 24 citations

Mixed effect analysis of factors influencing the use of insecticides treated bed nets among pregnant women in Ghana: evidence from the 2019 Malaria Indicator Survey

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · 2022 · 24 citations

Motivators and demotivators to accessing malaria in pregnancy interventions in sub-Saharan Africa: a meta-ethnographic review

Malaria Journal · 2022 · corresponding author · 16 citations

Motivators and demotivators to accessing malaria in pregnancy interventions in sub-Saharan Africa: A meta-ethnographic review

Research Square · 2022

Managing urban solid waste in Ghana: Perspectives and experiences of municipal waste company managers and supervisors in an urban municipality

PLoS ONE · 2021 · 116 citations

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the adult population in Ghana: evidence from a pre-vaccination rollout survey

Tropical Medicine and Health · 2021 · 73 citations

An ethnographic study of how health system, socio-cultural and individual factors influence uptake of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in a Ghanaian context

PLoS ONE · 2021 · corresponding author · 28 citations

Urban health nexus with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) preparedness and response in Africa: Rapid scoping review of the early evidence

SAGE Open Medicine · 2021 · 19 citations

Additional file 1 of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the adult population in Ghana: evidence from a pre-vaccination rollout survey

Figshare · 2021

Perspectives and practices of healthcare providers and caregivers on healthcare-associated infections in the neonatal intensive care units of two hospitals in Ghana

Health Policy and Planning · 2020 · 19 citations

Managing intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy challenges: an ethnographic study of two Ghanaian administrative regions

Malaria Journal · 2020 · corresponding author · 6 citations

Managing intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy challenges: an ethnographic study of two Ghanaian administrative regions

Research Square · 2020 · 2 citations

Managing Urban Solid Waste in Ghana: Perspective and Experiences of Municipal Waste Company Managers and Supervisors in an Urban Municipality

2020 · 1 citations

Managing Malaria in Pregnancy Policy Interventions in A Challenging Environment: an Ethnographic Study of two Ghanaian Administrative Regions

Research Square · 2020 · corresponding author

Health system, socio-cultural, economic, environmental and individual factors influencing bed net use in the prevention of malaria in pregnancy in two Ghanaian regions

Malaria Journal · 2019 · corresponding author · 53 citations

Anaemia in Pregnancy in Ghana

Faculty of 1000 Research Ltd · 2019

Social, cultural, economic and individual factors influencing prevention and management of malaria infections among pregnant women in Ghanaian communities

Faculty of 1000 Research Ltd · 2019

A mixed methods approach to assessing health systems effectiveness in the control of malaria among pregnant women in Ghana

Faculty of 1000 Research Ltd · 2019

Malaria and other parasitic co-infections during pregnancy in Ghana: burden and effect.

Faculty of 1000 Research Ltd · 2019

Leadership styles in two Ghanaian hospitals in a challenging environment

Health Policy and Planning · 2018 · corresponding author · 38 citations

<i>‘</i> I won’t take part!’: Exploring the multiple identities of the ethnographer in two Ghanaian hospitals

Ethnography · 2016 · corresponding author · 10 citations

Frontline health worker motivation in the provision of maternal and neonatal health care in Ghana

2016 · corresponding author · 2 citations

'I Used to Fight with Them but Now I Have Stopped!': Conflict and Doctor-Nurse-Anaesthetists' Motivation in Maternal and Neonatal Care Provision in a Specialist Referral Hospital

PLoS ONE · 2015 · corresponding author · 44 citations

I used to fight with them but now I have stopped

PLoS ONE · 2015 · 1 citations

'Your health our concern, our health whose concern?': perceptions of injustice in organizational relationships and processes and frontline health worker motivation in Ghana

Health Policy and Planning · 2014 · 51 citations