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 […]
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. […]
Innate immune responses and gut microbiomes distinguish hiv-exposed from hiv-unexposed children in a population-specific manner
In both high-and low-income countries, HIV-negative children born to HIV-positive mothers (HIVexposed, uninfected [HEU]) are more susceptible to severe infection than HIV-unexposed, uninfected (HUU) children, with altered innate immunity hypothesized to be a cause. Both the gut microbiome and systemic innate immunity differ across biogeographically distinct settings, and the two are known to influence each […]
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 […]
Effect of training traditional birth attendants on neonatal mortality (Lufwanyama Neonatal Survival Project): Randomised controlled study
Objective: To determine whether training traditional birth attendants to manage several common perinatal conditions could reduce neonatal mortality in the setting of a resource poor country with limited access to healthcare. Design: Prospective, cluster randomised and controlled effectiveness study. Setting: Lufwanyama, an agrarian, poorly developed district located in the Copperbelt province, Zambia. All births carried […]
Improving the demand for birth registration: A discrete choice experiment in Ethiopia
Introduction Birth registration remains limited in most low and middle-income countries. We investigated which characteristics of birth registration facilities might determine caregivers’ decisions to register children in Ethiopia. Methods We conducted a discrete choice experiment in randomly selected households in Addis Ababa and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s Region. We interviewed caregivers of children […]
Characterizing local-scale heterogeneity of malaria risk: A case study in Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo district in northern Ghana
Background: Bayesian methods have been used to generate country-level and global maps of malaria prevalence. With increasing availability of detailed malaria surveillance data, these methodologies can also be used to identify fine-scale heterogeneity of malaria parasitaemia for operational prevention and control of malaria. Methods: In this article, a Bayesian geostatistical model was applied to six […]
Determinants of self-reported hypertension among women in South Africa: evidence from the population-based survey
Background: Hypertension (HTN), characterized by an elevation of blood pressure, is a serious public health chronic condition that significantly raises the risks of heart, brain, kidney, and other diseases. In South Africa, the prevalence of HTN (measured objectively) was reported at 46.0% in females, nonetheless little is known regarding the prevalence and risks factors of […]
