Minimum Dietary Diversity Practice and Associated Factors among Children Aged 6 to 23 Months in Dire Dawa City, Eastern Ethiopia: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study
Objective: Malnutrition because of poor dietary diversity contributing to child morbidity and mortality. Two-thirds of child mortality occurs within the first 2 years. However, there is limited data related to dietary diversity among children aged 6 to 23 months in Ethiopia. Thus, this study aimed to assess dietary diversity and factors among children aged 6 […]
Maternal HIV disclosure to HIV-uninfected children in rural South Africa: A pilot study of a family-based intervention
Background: As access to treatment increases, large numbers of HIV-positive parents are raising HIV-negative children. Maternal HIV disclosure has been shown to have benefits for mothers and children, however, disclosure rates remain low with between 30-45% of mothers reporting HIV disclosure to their children in both observational and intervention studies. Disclosure of HIV status by […]
Promising trends and influencing factors of complementary feeding practices in Côte d’Ivoire: An analysis of nationally representative survey data between 1994 and 2016
Poor complementary feeding (CF) challenges early childhood growth. We examined the trends and influencing factors of CF practices among children aged 6–23 months in Côte d’Ivoire. Using data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS, 1994–2011) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS, 2000–2016), the trends and predictors of World Health Organization-United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund CF indicators […]
Prioritizing child health interventions in Ethiopia: Modeling impact on child mortality, life expectancy and inequality in age at death
Background: The fourth Millennium Development Goal calls for a two-thirds reduction in under-5 mortality between 1990 and 2015. Under-5 mortality rate is declining, but many countries are still far from achieving the goal. Effective child health interventions that could reduce child mortality exist, but national decision-makers lack contextual information for priority setting in their respective […]
Prevalence of Caesarean sections in Enugu, southeast Nigeria: Analysis of data from the Healthy Beginning Initiative
Background In order to meet the Sustainable Development Goal to decrease maternal mortality, increased access to obstetric interventions such as Caesarean sections (CS) is of critical importance. As a result of women’s limited access to routine and emergency obstetric services in Nigeria, the country is a major contributor to the global burden of maternal mortality. […]
Assessment of Inequalities in Coverage of Essential Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health Interventions in Kenya
Importance: Previous work has underscored subnational inequalities that could impede additional health gains in Kenya. Objective: To provide a comprehensive assessment of the burden, distribution, and change in inequalities in reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health (RMNCAH) interventions in Kenya from 2003 to 2014. Design, Setting, and Participants: This population-based cross-sectional study used data […]
Associations between gestational anthropometry, maternal HIV, and fetal and early infancy growth in a prospective rural/semi-rural Tanzanian cohort, 2012-13
Background: Healthcare access and resources differ considerably between urban and rural settings making cross-setting generalizations difficult. In resource-restricted rural/semi-rural environments, identification of feasible screening tools is a priority. The objective of this study was to evaluate gestational anthropometry in relation to birth and infant growth in a rural/semi-rural Tanzanian prospective cohort of mothers and their […]
Willingness to pay for small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements for women and children: Evidence from Ghana and Malawi
Small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) are designed to enrich maternal and child diets with the objective of preventing undernutrition during the first 1,000 days. Scaling up the delivery of supplements such as SQ-LNS hinges on understanding private demand and creatively leveraging policy-relevant factors that might influence demand. We used longitudinal stated willingness-to-pay (WTP) data from contingent […]
Social vulnerability, parity and food insecurity in urban South African young women: the healthy life trajectories initiative (HeLTI) study
Social vulnerability indices (SVI) can predict communities’ vulnerability and resilience to public health threats such as drought, food insecurity or infectious diseases. Parity has yet to be investigated as an indicator of social vulnerability in young women. We adapted an SVI score, previously used by the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC), and calculated SVI […]
Regional and residential disparities in knowledge of abortion legality and availability of facility-based abortion services in Ethiopia
Objectives: To generate regional, residential, and nationally representative estimates of knowledge of abortion legality and availability among women of reproductive age in Ethiopia, and examine how knowledge varies across regions and by urban/rural residence. Study Design: Our study draws on data from a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey implemented in 2019 in each of Ethiopia’s regional […]
