Prevalence and geo-clinicodemographic factors associated with hepatitis B vaccination among healthcare workers in five developing countries
Background: There is a four-fold risk for hepatitis B infection among healthcare workers compared to the general population. Due to limited access to diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis B in many resource-constrained settings, there is a real risk that only few healthcare workers with viral hepatitis may get screened or diagnosed and treated. Studies on […]
Determinants of access to antenatal care and birth outcomes in Kumasi, Ghana
This study aimed to investigate factors that influence antenatal care utilization and their association with adverse pregnancy outcomes (defined as low birth weight, stillbirth, preterm delivery or small for gestational age) among pregnant women in Kumasi. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted of 643 women aged 19-48 years who presented for delivery at selected public […]
Factors associated with childhood overweight and obesity in Uganda: a national survey
Background: Childhood obesity is an emerging public health problem globally. Although previously a problem of high-income countries, overweight and obesity is on the rise in low- and middle-income countries. This paper explores the factors associated with childhood obesity and overweight in Uganda using data from the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) of 2016. Methods: […]
Introduction and integration of PrEP and sexual and reproductive health services for young people: Health provider perspectives from South Africa
South Africa has one of the largest HIV epidemics in the world, with particularly high prevalence among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). Oral PrEP was introduced in the public sector in 2016 in a phased manner. Given the important role played by health providers, research was undertaken to understand their experiences of and attitudes […]
Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality for 282 causes of death in 195 countries and territories, 1980–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017
Background: Global development goals increasingly rely on country-specific estimates for benchmarking a nation’s progress. To meet this need, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2016 estimated global, regional, national, and, for selected locations, subnational cause-specific mortality beginning in the year 1980. Here we report an update to that study, making […]
Maternal supplementation with small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements compared with multiple micronutrients, but not with iron and folic acid, reduces the prevalence of low gestational weight gain in semi-urban Ghana: A randomized controlled trial
Background: It is unclear whether maternal supplementation with small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNSs; 118 kcal/d) affects maternal weight. Objective: We compared several secondary anthropometric measures between 3 groups of women in the iLiNS (International Lipid-based Nutrient Supplements)-DYAD trial in Ghana. Methods: Women (n = 1320; < 20 wk of gestation) were randomly assigned to receive […]
Decomposing multidimensional child poverty and its drivers in the Mouhoun region of Burkina Faso, West Africa
Background: The global poverty profile shows that Africa and Asia bear the highest burden of multidimensional child poverty. Child survival and development therefore depend on socioeconomic and environmental factors that surround a child.The aim of this paper is to measure multidimensional child poverty and underpin what drives it among children aged 5 to 18 years […]
Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 315 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE), 1990–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015
Background Healthy life expectancy (HALE) and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) provide summary measures of health across geographies and time that can inform assessments of epidemiological patterns and health system performance, help to prioritise investments in research and development, and monitor progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We aimed to provide updated HALE and DALYs for […]
Growth and health outcomes at school age in HIV-exposed, uninfected Zambian children: Follow-up of two cohorts studied in infancy
Background: Early growth and health of HIV-exposed, uninfected (HEU) children is poorer than that of their HIV-unexposed, uninfected (HUU) counterparts but there is little information about longer term effects of early HIV exposure. We previously recruited two cohorts of HEU and HUU Zambian infants and documented the poorer infant growth and health of the HEU […]
Abortifacient efficacy of aqueous-acetone extracts of Adenopus breviflorus Benth seed in female albino rats
The present study evaluated the abortifacient potential of aqueous-acetone extract of Adenopus breviflorus Benth Seed on the reproductive health of matured female albino rats by monitoring the indices of dysfunctions in reproductive system. Prior to the conduction of the fertility studies, the oral acute toxicity of the seed extract was evaluated for autonomic, behavioral and […]