Food insecurity is associated with attitudes towards exclusive breastfeeding among women in urban Kenya
This study aimed to document whether food insecurity was associated with beliefs and attitudes towards exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) among urban Kenyan women. We conducted structured interviews with 75 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-affected and 75 HIV-status unknown, low-income women who were either pregnant or with a child ≤24months and residing in Nakuru, Kenya to generate categorical […]
Prevalence of wasting and associated factors among children aged 6-59 months in Wolkite town of the Gurage zone, Southern Ethiopia, 2020. A cross-sectional study
Background Undernutrition among children is one of the leading major public health problems and about 49.5 million children were wasted worldwide. Asia and African countries contributed 69% and 27.2% of wasting respectively. In Ethiopia, 7% of children were wasted and 1% was severely wasted. Although Ethiopia has achieved remarkable progress in reducing underfive mortality and […]
Effect of nutritional supplementation of breastfeeding HIV positive mothers on maternal and child health: Findings from a randomized controlled clinical trial
Background: It has been well established that breastfeeding is beneficial for child health, however there has been debate regarding the effect of lactation on maternal health in the presence of HIV infection and the need for nutritional supplementation in HIV positive lactating mothers. Aims. To assess the effect of nutritional supplementation to HIV infected lactating […]
Assessing early access to care and child survival during a health system strengthening intervention in Mali: A repeated cross sectional survey
Background: In 2012, 6.6 million children under age five died worldwide, most from diseases with known means of prevention and treatment. A delivery gap persists between well-validated methods for child survival and equitable, timely access to those methods. We measured early child health care access, morbidity, and mortality over the course of a health system […]
Levels and determinants of DDT and DDE exposure in the VHEMBE cohort
BACKGROUND: Although indoor residual spraying (IRS) is an effective tool for malaria control, its use contributes to high insecticide exposure in sprayed communities and raises concerns about possible unintended health effects. OBJECTIVE: The Venda Health Examination of Mothers, Babies and their Environment (VHEMBE) is a birth cohort study initiated in 2012 to characterize prenatal exposure […]
Food beliefs and practices among the Kalenjin pregnant women in rural Uasin Gishu County, Kenya
Background: Understanding food beliefs and practices is critical to the development of dietary recommendations, nutritional programmes, and educational messages. This study aimed to understand the pregnancy food beliefs and practices and the underlying reasons for these among the contemporary rural Kalenjin communities of Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. Methods: Through semi-structured interviews, data was collected from […]
The association of malaria morbidity with linear growth, hemoglobin, iron status, and development in young Malawian children: A prospective cohort study
Background: Although poor complementary feeding is associated with poor child growth, nutrition interventions only have modest impact on child growth, due to high burden of infections. We aimed to assess the association of malaria with linear growth, hemoglobin, iron status, and development in children aged 6-18 months in a setting of high malaria and undernutrition […]
Teratogenic Evaluation of 80% Ethanol Extract of Embelia schimperi Vatke Fruits on Rat Embryo and Fetuses
Introduction. Embelia schimperi Vatke (family Myrsinaceae) is a commonly consumed anthelminthic plant in Ethiopia. The plant has significant efficacy in treating intestinal worms. However, there are limited data about the safety/toxicity of the plant. Moreover, the teratogenic effect of the plant is not yet well studied despite significant number of Ethiopian mothers consuming herbal medication […]
The role of household structure and composition in influencing complementary feeding practices in Ethiopia
While the household in which a child grows up is considered a critical environment that influences nutrition outcomes, there is little research examining the influence of household composition and structure on complementary feeding practices. This study examined the influence of household structure and composition on complementary feeding practices, using the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey […]
Antenatal depression and its potential causal mechanisms among pregnant mothers in Gondar town: Application of structural equation model
Background: Various forms of life stressors have been implicated as causes of antenatal depression. However, there is a lack of understanding of which forms of stress lead to antenatal depression and through what mechanisms. Modeling stress processes within a theoretical model framework can enhance an understanding of the mechanisms underlying relationships between stressors and stress […]
