Factors associated with stunting among pre-school children in southern highlands of Tanzania
Background: Stunting is a major public health problem in Africa and is associated with poor child survival and development. We investigate factors associated to child stunting in three Tanzanian regions.Methods: A cross-sectional two-stage cluster sampling survey was conducted among children aged 6-59 months. The sample included 1360 children aged 6-23 months and 1904 children aged […]
Family influences on child nutritional outcomes in Nairobi’s informal settlements
Background: Improving child nutritional status is an important step towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 3 in developing countries. Most child nutrition interventions in these countries remain variably effective because the strategies often target the child’s mother/caregiver and give limited attention to other household members. Quantitative studies have identified individual level factors, such […]
Household Microenvironment and Under-Fives Health Outcomes in Uganda: Focusing on Multidimensional Energy Poverty and Women Empowerment Indices
Young children in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) are vulnerable to adverse effects of household microenvironments. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—specifically SDG 3 through 7—urge for a comprehensive multi-sector approach to achieve the 2030 goals. This study addresses gaps in understanding the health effects of household microenvironments in resourcepoor settings. It studies associations of household […]
Food insecurity and water insecurity in rural Zimbabwe: Development of multidimensional household measures
Background: With millions of people experiencing malnutrition and inadequate water access, FI and WI remain topics of vital importance to global health. Existing unidimensional FI and WI metrics do not all capture similar multidimensional aspects, thus restricting our ability to assess and address food-and water-related issues. Methods: Using the Sanitation, Hygiene and Infant Nutrition Efficacy […]
Breastfeeding and child survival from 0 to 5 years in Côte d’Ivoire
Background: One of the main objectives of health policy-makers is to promote children’s growth, development, and survival. The current research evaluates the impact of breastfeeding on infant survival and highlights the major socio-economic determinants of child survival from 0 to 5 years old in Côte d’Ivoire. Methods: This study uses Probit estimation to evaluate the […]
Characterizing potential risks of fecal–oral microbial transmission for infants and young children in Rural Zambia
Undernourished children in low-income contexts often suffer from environmental enteric disorder—damage to the intestines probably caused by chronic exposure to bacterial pathogens from feces. We aimed to identify strategies for reducing infants and young children’s (IYC) exposure to human and animal feces in rural farming families by conducting direct observation of 30 caregiver–infant dyads for […]
Co-design and implementation of a mHealth intervention targeting fathers and mothers to improve breastfeeding
Background: Evidence has shown that SMS text message-based health education is effective in improving exclusive breastfeeding. However, there is limited evidence on the development and design of SMS messaging intervention targeting fathers and mothers. Method: This is the formative assessment and intervention design for a larger trial targeting both fathers and mothers for breastfeeding support […]
Whether weather matters: Evidence of association between in utero meteorological exposures and foetal growth among Indigenous and non-Indigenous mothers in rural Uganda
Pregnancy and birth outcomes have been found to be sensitive to meteorological variation, yet few studies explore this relationship in sub-Saharan Africa where infant mortality rates are the highest in the world. We address this research gap by examining the association between meteorological factors and birth weight in a rural population in southwestern Uganda. Our […]
Assessment of equity in healthcare financing in Fiji and Timor-Leste: A study protocol
Introduction: Equitable health financing remains a key health policy objective worldwide. In low and middle-income countries (LMICs), there is evidence that many people are unable to access the health services they need due to financial and other barriers. There are growing calls for fairer health financing systems that will protect people from catastrophic and impoverishing […]
The World Health Organization Fetal Growth Charts: A Multinational Longitudinal Study of Ultrasound Biometric Measurements and Estimated Fetal Weight
Background: Perinatal mortality and morbidity continue to be major global health challenges strongly associated with prematurity and reduced fetal growth, an issue of further interest given the mounting evidence that fetal growth in general is linked to degrees of risk of common noncommunicable diseases in adulthood. Against this background, WHO made it a high priority […]
