Determinants of good vitamin A consumption in the 12 East Africa Countries using recent Demographic and health survey
Background Vitamin A one of the important micronutrients that it cannot be made in the human body and must be taken from outside the body through the diet. Ensuring that vitamin A is available in any form in sufficient quantities remains a challenge, especially in regions where access to vitamin A-containing foods and healthcare interventions […]
“As a woman who watches how my family is… I take the difficult decisions”: a qualitative study on integrated family planning and childhood immunisation services in five African countries
Background: Family planning (FP) has the potential to improve maternal and child health outcomes and to reduce poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. However, substantial unmet need for modern contraceptive methods (MCMs) persists in this region. Current literature highlights multi-level barriers, including socio-cultural norms that discourage the use of MCMs. This paper explores women’s choices and decision-making […]
Increasing coverage and decreasing inequity in insecticide-treated bed net use among rural Kenyan children
Background: Inexpensive and efficacious interventions that avert childhood deaths in sub-Saharan Africa have failed to reach effective coverage, especially among the poorest rural sectors. One particular example is insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs). In this study, we present repeat observations of ITN coverage among rural Kenyan homesteads exposed at different times to a range of delivery […]
Predictors of the amount of intake of Ready-To-Use-Therapeutic foods among children in outpatient therapeutic programs in Nairobi, Kenya
Ready-to-use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) therapy is a standard protocol for treating children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) admitted in Out-Patient Therapeutic Programmes (OTP). The amount of RUTF to be consumed by a child is based on weight (200 kcal/kg body weight/day) as stipulated in the Kenya Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM) protocol for timely weight […]
Individual and community-level factors of abortion in East Africa: a multilevel analysis
Background: Abortion is one of the top five causes of maternal mortality in low and middle-income countries. It is associated with a complication related to pregnancy and childbirth. Despite this, there was limited evidence on the prevalence and associated factors of abortion in East African countries. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence and […]
Patterns and determinants of breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices in urban informal settlements, Nairobi Kenya
Background: The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life for optimal growth, development and health. Breastfeeding should continue up to two years or more and nutritionally adequate, safe, and appropriately-fed complementary foods should be introduced at the age of six months to meet the evolving needs of the […]
Impact of childhood nutritional status on pathogen prevalence and severity of acute diarrhea
Children with acute and chronic malnutrition are at increased risk of morbidity and mortality following a diarrheal episode. To compare diarrheal disease severity and pathogen prevalence among children with and without acute and chronic malnutrition, we conducted a cross-sectional study of human immunodeficiency virus-uninfected Kenyan children aged 6–59 months, who presented with acute diarrhea. Children […]
Strengthening integration of family planning with HIV/AIDS and other services: Experience from three Kenyan cities
Background: Kenya has made remarkable progress in integrating a range of reproductive health services with HIV/AIDS services over the past decade. This study describes a sub-set of outcomes from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)-funded Jhpiego-led Kenya Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (Tupange) Project (2010-2015), specifically addressing strengthening family planning (FP) integration with a range […]
Behavioural and emotional comorbidities in school-aged children with neurological conditions in Kilifi, Kenya, and their long-term consequences
Background: Neurological conditions and mental health problems are common in children in low- and middle-income countries, but the risk factors and downstream impact of these problems on children with neurological conditions are not reported. Objective: To determine the association of neurological conditions with behavioural and emotional problems in children, the prevalence and risk factors of […]
Role of social support in improving infant feeding practices in Western Kenya: A quasi-experimental study
Background: We designed and tested an intervention that used dialogue-based groups to engage infants’ fathers and grandmothers to support optimal infant feeding practices. The study’s aim was to test the effectiveness of increased social support by key household influencers on improving mothers’ complementary feeding practices. Methods: Using a quasi-experimental design, we enrolled mothers, fathers, and […]
