Early childhood anemia in a birth cohort in coastal Kenya: Links to infection and nutrition
Anemia is known to impact a child’s growth and development, but not all anemias are caused by iron deficiency, and theCDCandWHOhave emphasized investigating other contributors to anemia. This cross-sectional substudy of a 2012-2016 maternal-child cohort in coastal Kenya evaluated 244 children and found 185 (76%) to have been anemic on at least one time point […]
Power dynamics as a determinant of access and utilization of nutrition services by pregnant and lactating adolescent girls in Trans-Mara East Sub-County, Narok County, Kenya
Background: During pregnancy or lactating, adequate nutrition for adolescents becomes critical to reduce risks for both child and maternal-related morbidity and mortality. Power dynamics play a massive role in health outcomes. The main objective of this study was to examine the power dynamics in the families and communities and their impact on the pregnant and […]
“I don’t want financial support but verbal support.” How do caregivers manage children’s access to and retention in HIV care in urban Zimbabwe?
Introduction: Children living with HIV experience particular challenges in accessing HIV care. Children usually rely on adult caregivers for access to care, including timely diagnosis, initiation of treatment and sustained engagement with HIV services. The aim of this study was to inform the design of a community-based intervention to support caregivers of HIV-positive children to […]
Factors hindering health care delivery in nomadic communities: a cross-sectional study in Timbuktu, Mali
Background: In Mali, nomadic populations are spread over one third of the territory. Their lifestyle, characterized by constant mobility, excludes them from, or at best places them at the edge of, health delivery services. This study aimed to describe nomadic populations’ characteristics, determine their perception on the current health services, and identify issues associated with […]
Equity in newborn care, evidence from national surveys in low- and middle-income countries
Background: High coverage of care is essential to improving newborn survival; however, gaps exist in access to timely and appropriate newborn care between and within countries. In high mortality burden settings, health inequities due to social and economic factors may also impact on newborn outcomes. This study aimed to examine equity in co-coverage of newborn care interventions […]
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Option B+ for HIV Prevention and Treatment of Mothers and Children in Malawi
Background: The Ministry of Health in Malawi is implementing a pragmatic and innovative approach for the management of all HIV-infected pregnant women, termed Option B+, which consists of providing life-long antiretroviral treatment, regardless of their CD4 count or clinical stage. Our objective was to determine if Option B+ represents a cost-effective option. Methods: A decision […]
Home visits by community health workers in rural South Africa have a limited, but important impact on maternal and child health in the first two years of life
Background: More than 50% of Africa’s population lives in rural areas, which have few professional health workers. South Africa has adopted task shifting health care to Community Health Workers (CHWs) to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, but little is known about CHWs’ efficacy in rural areas. Methods: In this longitudinal prospective cohort study, almost all […]
Timing, intensity, and duration of household food insecurity are associated with early childhood development in Kenya
This study examines the association between 3 dimensions of food insecurity (timing, intensity, and duration) and 3 domains of child development (gross motor, communication, and personal social). Longitudinal data from 303 households (n = 309 children) visited 9 times over 2 years were collected. Children in households experiencing severe food insecurity 3 months prior (timing) had significantly lower gross […]
Perceptions and practice of preconception care by healthcare workers and high-risk women in south africa: A qualitative study
Preconception care is biomedical, behavioural, and social health interventions provided to women and couples before conception. This service is sometimes prioritised for women at high risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Evidence revealed that only very few women in Africa with severe chronic conditions receive or seek preconception care advice and assessment for future pregnancy. Thus, […]
Infant mortality in South Africa – distribution, associations and policy implications, 2007: an ecological spatial analysis
Background: Many sub-Saharan countries are confronted with persistently high levels of infant mortality because of the impact of a range of biological and social determinants. In particular, infant mortality has increased in sub-Saharan Africa in recent decades due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The geographic distribution of health problems and their relationship to potential risk factors […]
