Infant feeding, growth monitoring and the double burden of malnutrition among children aged 6 months and their mothers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
South Africa has a documented high prevalence of stunting and increasing obesity in children as well as obesity in adults. The double burden of malnutrition, which can be on an individual-, household- or population level, has implications for both health and the economic development of a community and country. This paper describes a large-scale survey […]
Lockdown-associated hunger may be affecting breastfeeding: Findings from a large sms survey in South Africa
The impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had, and will continue to have, on food security and child health is especially concerning. A rapid, Short Message Service (SMS) Maternal and Child Health survey was conducted in South Africa in June 2020 (n = 3140), with a follow-up in July 2020 (n = 2287). This was […]
Results-based financing to increase uptake of skilled delivery services in The Gambia: using the ‘three delays’ model to interpret midline evaluation findings
Background: Delays in accessing skilled delivery services are a major contributor to high maternal mortality in resource-limited settings. In 2015, the government of The Gambia initiated a results-based financing intervention that sought to increase uptake of skilled delivery. We performed a midline evaluation to determine the impact of the intervention and explore causes of delays. […]
Neighborhood-Based Socioeconomic Determinants of Cognitive Impairment in Zambian Children with HIV: A Quantitative Geographic Information Systems Approach
Background: Place-based inequalities, such as exposure to violence and access to nutritious food and clean water, may contribute to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-Associated cognitive impairment. In this study, we investigated neighborhood effects on cognition in children and adolescents with HIV in Lusaka, Zambia. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 208 children with perinatally […]
Factors associated with low birth weight among babies born at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Hawassa, Ethiopia
Background: Low birth weight is defined as infant born with weight of less than 2500 g. It is one of the major public health problems worldwide. In Ethiopia, there are limited evidences on factors contributing to low birthweight. Objective: To assess factors associated with low birth weight babies in Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Hawassa, […]
Caregiver parenting practices, dietary diversity knowledge, and association with early childhood development outcomes among children aged 18-29 months in Zanzibar, Tanzania: a cross-sectional survey
Background: Many children in low- and middle-income countries fail to reach their cognitive potential, with experiences before age 3 critical in shaping long-term development. Zanzibar’s Jamii ni Afya program is the first national, digitally enabled community health volunteer (CHV) program promoting early childhood development (ECD) following the Nurturing Care Framework within an integrated maternal and […]
Evaluation of Linear Growth at Higher Altitudes
Importance: Irrespective of their genetic makeup, children living in an ideal home environment that supports healthy growth have similar growth potential. However, whether this potential is true for children residing at higher altitudes remains unknown. Objective: To investigate whether altitude is associated with increased risk of linear growth faltering and evaluate the implications associated with […]
“When I Breastfeed, It Feels as if my Soul Leaves the Body”: Maternal Capabilities for Healthy Child Growth in Rural Southeastern Tanzania
The burden of childhood stunting in Tanzania is persistently high, even in high food-producing regions. This calls for a paradigm shift in Child Growth Monitoring (CGM) to a multi-dimensional approach that also includes the contextual information of an individual child and her/his caregivers. To contribute to the further development of CGM to reflect local contexts, […]
Biomarkers of maternal environmental enteric dysfunction are associated with shorter gestation and reduced length in newborn infants in Uganda
Background Adverse birth outcomes, including preterm birth and stunting at birth, have long-term health implications. The relation between adverse birth outcomes and chronic, asymptomatic gastrointestinal inflammation (environmental enteric dysfunction – EED) is poorly understood. Objective We aimed to examine the relation between maternal EED and adverse birth outcomes in a sample of pregnant Ugandan women […]
Effects of early-life competition and maternal nutrition on telomere lengths in wild meerkats
Early-life adversity can affect health, survival and fitness later in life, and recent evidence suggests that telomere attrition may link early conditions with their delayed consequences. Here, we investigate the link between early-life competition and telomere length in wild meerkats. Our results show that, when multiple females breed concurrently, increases in the number of pups […]
