The unfolding counter-transition in rural South Africa: Mortality and cause of death, 1994-2009
The HIV pandemic has led to dramatic increases and inequalities in adult mortality, and the diffusion of antiretroviral treatment, together with demographic and socioeconomic shifts in sub-Saharan Africa, has further changed mortality patterns. We describe all-cause and cause-specific mortality patterns in rural South Africa, analyzing data from the Agincourt health and socio-demographic surveillance system from […]
“I will leave the baby with my mother”: Long-distance travel and follow-up care among HIV-positive pregnant and postpartum women in South Africa
Introduction: It is common in urban African settings for postpartum women to temporarily return to family in distant settings. We sought to explore mobility among peripartum HIV-positive women to understand the timing and motivation of travel, particularly vis-à-vis delivery, and how it may affect healthcare access. Methods: Using the same mobility measurements within three different […]
Global, regional, and national life expectancy, all-cause mortality, and cause-specific mortality for 249 causes of death, 1980–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015
Background Improving survival and extending the longevity of life for all populations requires timely, robust evidence on local mortality levels and trends. The Global Burden of Disease 2015 Study (GBD 2015) provides a comprehensive assessment of all-cause and cause-specific mortality for 249 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1980 to 2015. These results informed […]
“We Are Having a Huge Problem with Compliance”: Exploring Preconception Care Utilization in South Africa
Background: Preconception care (PCC), a policy directive from the World Health Organ-isation (WHO), comprises all the health interventions offered to women and couples before con-ception and is intended to improve their overall health status and the pregnancy outcomes. Alt-hough PCC should be an essential part of maternal and child health services in most African coun-tries, […]
Determinants of Dietary Diversity Practice among Pregnant Women in the Gurage Zone, Southern Ethiopia, 2021: Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study
Background. Dietary diversification is considered the proxy indicator of dietary quality and nutrient adequacy during pregnancy. Pregnant women have been considered susceptible to malnutrition because of their increased nutrient demands and thus consuming a variety of foods in their diet plays a lion’s role in ensuring adequate nutrient intake. So understanding bottleneck factors associated with […]
An ethnographic study of how health system, socio-cultural and individual factors influence uptake of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in a Ghanaian context
Background Intermittent preventive treatment of malaria among pregnant women with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP), is one of the three recommended interventions for the prevention of malaria in pregnancy (MiP) in sub-Sahara Africa. The World Health Organisation recommended in 2012 that SP be given at each scheduled ANC visit except during the first trimester and can be given […]
Joint spatial mapping of childhood anemia and malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa: A cross-sectional study of small-scale geographical disparities
Background: In epidemiological studies, several diseases share common risk factors or co-exist in their spatial prevalence. Disease mapping allows the health practitioners and epidemiologists to hypothesize the disease aetiology and gain better understanding of the geographical prevalence of the disease risks. Objective: This paper investigates the differences in small scale geographical variations and the underlying […]
Task shifting the management of non-communicable diseases to nurses in Kibera, Kenya: Does it work?
Background: In sub-Saharan Africa there is an increasing need to leverage available health care workers to provide care for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This study was conducted to evaluate adherence to Médecins Sans Frontières clinical protocols when the care of five stable NCDs (hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, epilepsy, asthma, and sickle cell) was shifted from […]
Deaths ascribed to non-communicable diseases among rural kenyan adults are proportionately increasing: Evidence from a health and demographic surveillance system, 2003-2010
Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) result in more deaths globally than other causes. Monitoring systems require strengthening to attribute the NCD burden and deaths in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Data from health and demographic surveillance systems (HDSS) can contribute towards this goal. Methods and Findings: Between 2003 and 2010, 15,228 deaths in adults aged 15 […]
Self-reported disability in relation to mortality in rural Malawi: a longitudinal study of over 16 000 adults
OBJECTIVES: We investigated whether self-reported disability was associated with mortality in adults in rural Malawi. SETTING: Karonga Health and Demographic Surveillance Site (HDSS), Northern Malawi. PARTICIPANTS: All adults aged 18 and over residing in the HDSS were eligible to participate. During annual censuses in 2014 and 2015, participants were asked if they experienced difficulty in […]
