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Background: Despite malaria being integrated into primary school education, the knowledge gap and negative attitude towards this topic still exists among school children. Aim: This study aimed at assessing knowledge and attitude towards malaria transmission and prevention among school children in Rwanda. Methods: A descriptive correlational study design was used. A random sample of 160 participants was selected. A validated structured interview schedule was used to collected data and face to face method was used. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics of the Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and linear regression analysis. Results: Forty-five (28.13 %) had high knowledge, 108 (67.5 %) moderate and 7 (4.38 %) low knowledge on malaria transmission and prevention. Sixty-four (40 %) demonstrated positive attitude and 96(60 %) negative attitudes towards malaria prevention. A significant weak positive correlation between knowledge and attitude (r = 0.162, p = 0.041) was found. Linear regression analysis revealed knowledge to contributes only 2.6 % of increase in attitude (R2 = 0.026). Conclusion: Moderate levels of malaria knowledge coupled with negative attitudes among school children towards malaria transmission and prevention were identified. Health professionals should devise health education program during community outreach to intensify individualized strategies that will improve knowledge and attitudes of school children in Rwanda.

In Rwanda, many abortion services are not currently providing trauma-informed abortion care (TIAC) due to laws that restrict service provision and the incorporation of potentially traumatizing procedures with little attention to the woman's experience and support needs. Midwives working in abortion services often lack adequate training to effectively support clients with trauma. The authors aim to evaluate midwives' knowledge, attitudes, practices, and experiences toward TIAC. A mixed-method design was used. In quantitative, all midwives were invited to participate. In qualitative, purposive sampling was applied, and four focus group discussions with eight participants each were conducted. Of the 167 midwives who participated in this study, 86.2% demonstrated sufficient knowledge of TIAC, 83.8% had thorough experience of TIAC, and 62.3% reported a negative attitude toward TIAC. Respondents with an advanced diploma were more likely to have satisfactory knowledge than those with a bachelor's degree, and the workplace institution influenced TIAC practice. Males had a more positive attitude compared to their female counterparts. Moreover, respondents with more knowledge of and positive attitudes toward TIAC were significantly more likely to have good practice. Four themes were identified: a) conceptualization and practice of TIAC; b) TIAC as an essential practice in quality care; c) physical environment as a hindrance of TIAC; and d) dynamics of caring leading to secondary trauma. Providing TIAC training to midwives is essential for shifting negative attitudes. Hospitals need to enhance their infrastructure and offer resources to address the challenges of abortion services, including mitigating secondary trauma among healthcare workers., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

In low and middle income countries (LMICs), the rate of teenage pregnancy continues to be high, with significant implications for maternal health. The prevalence of teenage pregnancy is worrisome in Rwanda, and little is known about the consequences faced by teen mothers aged 15-19. Therefore, the present study aims to explore the consequences of adolescent childbearing among teen mothers in Gatsibo district, Rwanda. A descriptive qualitative study design was carried out. We purposively recruited 20 teen mothers aged 15-19 from four health centers in Gatsibo district for in-depth interview. Conversations were conducted in Kinyarwanda and audio recorded. The research team, fluent in both English and Kinyarwanda, carefully listened to each recording and verbatim translated them into English ensuring they are clear and understandable. Transcripts were entered into Dedoose and then inductively and thematically analyzed. Three themes were identified: (1) self-reported health outcomes; (2) socio-economic consequences; and (3) perceived structural barriers of access to healthcare services. Teen mothers in this study reported experiencing physical and psychological problems during pregnancy and after delivery. The socio-economic consequences included lack of social support, feelings of guilt and stigmatization, discrimination, domestic violence, school interruption and dropout, and financial constraint. The structural barriers of access to healthcare included adverse health facility requirements, feeling stigmatized by adult mothers in the healthcare environment, and confronting healthcare providers' negative attitudes toward teen mothers. The results from this study indicated that adolescent childbearing is associated with several negative consequences. Therefore, there is a need in Rwanda to develop interventions addressing these consequences and revise policies and laws to ensure they support the needs of teen mothers., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Twagirayezu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)