Adaptation and validation of social accountability measures in the context of contraceptive services in Ghana and Tanzania
Background: Changes in the values, attitudes, and interactions of both service users and health care providers are central to social accountability processes in reproductive health. However, there is little consensus on how best to measure these latent changes. This paper reports on the adaptation and validation of measures that capture these changes in Tanzania and […]
Effect of care environment on educational attainment among orphaned and separated children and adolescents in Western Kenya
Background: There are approximately 140 million orphaned and separated children (OSCA) around the world. In Kenya, many of these children live with extended family while others live in institutions. Despite evidence that orphans are less likely to be enrolled in school than non-orphans, there is little evidence regarding the role of care environment. This evidence […]
Contraceptive use following spontaneous and induced abortion and its association with family planning services in primary health care: Results from a Brazilian longitudinal study
Background: Although it is well known that post-abortion contraceptive use is high when family planning services are provided following spontaneous or induced abortions, this relationship remains unclear in Brazil and similar settings with restrictive abortion laws. Our study aims to assess whether contraceptive use is associated with access to family planning services in the six-month […]
Monitoring changes in malaria epidemiology and effectiveness of interventions in Ethiopia and Uganda: Beyond Garki Project baseline survey
Background: Scale-up of malaria interventions seems to have contributed to a decline in the disease but other factors may also have had some role. Understanding changes in transmission and determinant factors will help to adapt control strategies accordingly. Methods: Four sites in Ethiopia and Uganda were set up to monitor epidemiological changes and effectiveness of […]
Relations between spatial distribution, social affiliations and dominance hierarchy in a semi-free Mandrill population
Although there exist advantages to group-living in comparison to a solitary lifestyle, costs and gains of group-living may be unequally distributed among group members. Predation risk, vigilance levels and food intake may be unevenly distributed across group spatial geometry and certain within-group spatial positions may be more or less advantageous depending on the spatial distribution […]
Prevalence and risk factors of preconception anemia: A community based cross sectional study of rural women of reproductive age in northeastern Tanzania
Background Anemia is a major public health problem that adversely affects pregnancy outcomes. The prevalence of anemia among pregnant women before conception is not well known in Tanzania. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, types, and risk factors of preconception anemia in women of reproductive age from a rural Tanzanian setting. […]
Estimating global injuries morbidity and mortality: Methods and data used in the Global Burden of Disease 2017 study
Background: While there is a long history of measuring death and disability from injuries, modern research methods must account for the wide spectrum of disability that can occur in an injury, and must provide estimates with sufficient demographic, geographical and temporal detail to be useful for policy makers. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 […]
Brief problem-solving therapy for antenatal depressive symptoms in primary care in rural Ethiopia: protocol for a randomised, controlled feasibility trial
Background: Despite a high prevalence of antenatal depression in low- and middle-income countries, there is very little evidence for contextually adapted psychological interventions delivered in rural African settings. The aims of this study are (1) to examine the feasibility of procedures for a future fully powered efficacy trial of contextually adapted brief problem solving therapy […]
Asymmetric dominance and asymmetric mate choice oppose premating isolation after allopatric divergence
Assortative mating promotes reproductive isolation and allows allopatric speciation processes to continue in secondary contact. As mating patterns are determined by mate preferences and intrasexual competition, we investigated male-male competition and behavioral isolation in simulated secondary contact among allopatric populations. Three allopatric color morphs of the cichlid fish Tropheus were tested against each other. Dyadic […]
Complex Patterns of Genomic Admixture within Southern Africa
Within-population genetic diversity is greatest within Africa, while between-population genetic diversity is directly proportional to geographic distance. The most divergent contemporary human populations include the click-speaking forager peoples of southern Africa, broadly defined as Khoesan. Both intra- (Bantu expansion) and inter-continental migration (European-driven colonization) have resulted in complex patterns of admixture between ancient geographically isolated […]
