Prevalence and factors associated with complementary feeding practices among children aged 6-23 months in India: A regional analysis
Background: Inappropriate complementary feeding practices significantly contribute to undernutrition among children under 2 years of age in India. However, there is limited up-to-date evidence on the prevalence and factors associated with complementary feeding practices to guide policy actions at the subnational level in India. We investigated the regional prevalence and factors associated with complementary feeding […]
Decomposition analysis of the compositional and contextual factors associated with poor-non-poor inequality in diarrhoea among under-five children in low- and middle-income countries
Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the magnitude of wealth inequalities in the development of diarrhoea among under-five children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and to identify and quantify contextual and compositional factors’ contribution to the inequalities. Design: This is a cross-sectional study. Methods: We used cross-sectional data from 57 Demographic […]
Culturally adapted psychological intervention for treating maternal depression in British mothers of African and Caribbean origin: A randomized controlled feasibility trial
Background: Women are likely to suffer from maternal depression due to childbirth difficulties and parenting responsibilities, leading to long-term negative consequences on their children and families. British mothers of African/Caribbean origin uptake of mental healthcare is low due to the lack of access to culturally appropriate care. Methods: A mixed-methods randomized controlled feasibility trial was […]
What it takes: evidence from a nutrition- and gender-sensitive agriculture intervention in rural Zambia
The Realigning Agriculture for Improved Nutrition (RAIN) project was designed to address child undernutrition through a multisectoral approach which integrated agricultural diversification to improve access to nutritious foods, the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment and nutrition behaviour change communication to improve infant and young child feeding (IYCF) knowledge and practices. This paper presents […]
Relationship between maternal body composition during pregnancy and infant’s birth weight in Nairobi informal settlements, Kenya
Background Maternal nutrition depletion during pregnancy compromises fetal programming, and is a cause of adverse birth outcomes. Maternal body composition measurement using direct body composition assessment methods such as the deuterium dilution technique provides better prediction of birth outcomes as compared with commonly used techniques like anthropometry. This study assessed body composition of pregnant mothers […]
Maternal mortality in the informal settlements of Nairobi city: What do we know?
Background. Current estimates of maternal mortality ratios in Kenya are at least as high as 560 deaths per 100,000 live births. Given the pervasive poverty and lack of quality health services in slum areas, the maternal mortality situation in this setting can only be expected to be worse. With a functioning health care system, most […]
A concept paper: Using the outcomes of common surgical conditions as quality metrics to benchmark district surgical services in South Africa as part of a systematic quality improvement programme
The fourth, fifth and sixth Millennium Development Goals relate directly to improving global healthcare and health outcomes. The focus is to improve global health outcomes by reducing maternal and childhood mortality and the burden of infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Specific targets and timeframes have been set for these diseases. There is, […]
Global surgery for pediatric hydrocephalus in the developing world: A review of the history, challenges, and future directions
Objective Pediatric hydrocephalus is one of the most common neurosurgical conditions and is a major contributor to the global burden of surgically treatable diseases. Significant health disparities exist for the treatment of hydrocephalus in developing nations due to a combination of medical, environmental, and socioeconomic factors. This review aims to provide the international neurosurgery community […]
Sensitivity of hospital-based surveillance for severe disease: A geographic information system analysis of access to care in Kilifi district, Kenya
Objective To explore the relationship between homestead distance to hospital and access to care and to estimate the sensitivity of hospital-based surveillance in Kilifi district, Kenya. Methods In 2002-2006, clinical information was obtained from all children admitted to Kilifi District Hospital and linked to demographic surveillance data. Travel times to the hospital were calculated using […]
Wasting and associated factors among children under 5 years in five south asian countries (2014–2018): Analysis of demographic health surveys
Child wasting continues to be a major public health concern in South Asia, having a prevalence above the emergency threshold. This paper aimed to identify factors associated with wasting among children aged 0–23 months, 24–59 months, and 0–59 months in South Asia. A weighted sample of 564,518 children aged 0–59 months from the most recent […]