Modelling cost benefit of community-oriented primary care in rural South Africa
Background: Globally, rural populations have poorer health and considerably lower levels of access to healthcare compared with urban populations. Although the drive to ensure universal coverage through community healthcare worker programmes has shown significant results elsewhere, their value has yet to be realised in South Africa. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine […]
Maternal anemia in pregnancy: Assessing the effect of routine preventive measures in a malaria-endemic area
We investigated the effectiveness of routine preventive measures for anemia in Beninese pregnant women during pregnancy. Anemia (hemoglobin < 110 g/L) was common: 68.3% at first antenatal visit (ANV1), 64.7% at second antenatal visit (ANV2), and 40.6% at delivery. Parasitic infections and nutritional deficiencies were the most preventable causes. After intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp) and […]
Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
Background: In an era of shifting global agendas and expanded emphasis on non-communicable diseases and injuries along with communicable diseases, sound evidence on trends by cause at the national level is essential. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) provides a systematic scientific assessment of published, publicly available, and contributed data […]
Bridging the childhood epilepsy treatment gap in northern Nigeria (BRIDGE): Rationale and design of pre-clinical trial studies
Epilepsy is the most common serious childhood neurological disorder. In the low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) of Africa, children with epilepsy suffer increased morbidity and mortality compared to their counterparts in high-income countries, and the majority do not receive treatment – the childhood epilepsy treatment gap. Reports of the childhood epilepsy treatment gap in Africa […]
Risk of psychological distress following severe obstetric complications in Benin: The role of economics, physical health and spousal abuse
Background: Little is known about the impact of life-threatening obstetric complications (‘near miss’) on women’s mental health in low- and middle-income countries. Aims: To examine the relationships between near miss and postpartum psychological distress in the Republic of Benin. Method: One-year prospective cohort using epidemiological and ethnographic techniques in a population of women delivering at […]
The Role of Milk Protein and Whey Permeate in Lipid-based Nutrient Supplements on the Growth and Development of Stunted Children in Uganda: A Randomized Trial Protocol (MAGNUS)
Stunting is associated with cognitive impairment and later chronic disease. Previous trials to prevent stunting have had little effect, and no trials seem to have provided larger amounts of energy and high-quality proteins to already stunted children. We aimed to assess the effects of milk protein (MP) and whey permeate (WP) in large-quantity lipid-based nutrient […]
Eye health indicators for universal health coverage: results of a global expert prioritisation process
Introduction In its recent World Report on Vision, the WHO called for an updated approach to monitor eye health as part of universal health coverage (UHC). This project sought to develop a consensus among eye health experts from all world regions to produce a menu of indicators for countries to monitor eye health within UHC. […]
Protocol for a drugs exposure pregnancy registry for implementation in resource-limited settings
Background: The absence of robust evidence of safety of medicines in pregnancy, particularly those for major diseases provided by public health programmes in developing countries, has resulted in cautious recommendations on their use. We describe a protocol for a Pregnancy Registry adapted to resource-limited settings aimed at providing evidence on the safety of medicines in […]
Plasma Choline Concentration Was Not Increased after a 6-Month Egg Intervention in 6-9-Month-Old Malawian Children: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial
Background: Eggs are a rich source of choline, an essential nutrient important for child growth and development. In a randomized trial of 1 egg/d in young children in Ecuador, an egg intervention led to significant improvements in growth, which were partially mediated by increased plasma choline concentration. A similar trial in Malawi (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03385252) found […]
Using verbal autopsy to measure causes of death: The comparative performance of existing methods
Background: Monitoring progress with disease and injury reduction in many populations will require widespread use of verbal autopsy (VA). Multiple methods have been developed for assigning cause of death from a VA but their application is restricted by uncertainty about their reliability.Methods: We investigated the validity of five automated VA methods for assigning cause of […]
