Kangaroo mother care: EN-BIRTH multi-country validation study
Background: Kangaroo mother care (KMC) reduces mortality among stable neonates ≤2000 g. Lack of data tracking coverage and quality of KMC in both surveys and routine information systems impedes scale-up. This paper evaluates KMC measurement as part of the Every Newborn Birth Indicators Research Tracking in Hospitals (EN-BIRTH) study. Methods: The EN-BIRTH observational mixed-methods study […]
Association of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection and Underlying Risk Factors for Death among Young Infants Who Died at University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka Zambia
Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections and child mortality. While RSV disease burden is highest in low- and middle-income countries, most knowledge about risk factors for fatal RSV disease comes from high-income settings. Methods: Among infants aged 4 days to
Comprehensive Knowledge of HIV among Women in Rural Mozambique: Development and Validation of the HIV Knowledge 27 Scale
Background: The relationship between HIV knowledge and HIV-related behaviors in settings like Mozambique has been limited by a lack of rigorously validated measures. Methods: A convenience sample of women seeking prenatal care at two clinics were administered an adapted, orally-administered, 27 item HIV-knowledge scale, the HK-27. Validation analyses were stratified by survey language (Portuguese and […]
Effects of implementing a postabortion care strategy in Kinshasa referral hospitals, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Objectives: To evaluate the effects of the implementation of a postabortion care (PAC) strategy in Kinshasa referral hospitals, this study analyzed the quality of postabortion care services, including postabortion contraception, and the duration of hospitalization. Methodology: We estimated the effects of the PAC strategy using a quasi-experimental study by evaluating the outcomes of 334 patients […]
Validation of the CIMI-ethiopia program and seasonal variation in maternal nutrient intake in enset (False banana) growing areas of Southern Ethiopia
Background: Tools for the rapid and accurate analysis of nutrient intakes from diets of individuals in Southern Ethiopia are lacking. The Calculator of Inadequate Micronutrient Intake program for Ethiopia (CIMI-Ethiopia) has been developed to overcome this problem. CIMI-Ethiopia also computes protein and energy intakes from the diet. The objectives of the current study were to […]
The burden of mental disorders, substance use disorders and self-harm among young people in Europe, 1990–2019: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
Background: Mental health is a public health issue for European young people, with great heterogeneity in resource allocation. Representative population-based studies are needed. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2019 provides internationally comparable information on trends in the health status of populations and changes in the leading causes of disease burden over time. Methods: […]
Is the routine health information system ready to support the planned national health insurance scheme in South Africa?
Implementation of a National Health Insurance (NHI) in South Africa requires a reliable, standardized health information system that supports Diagnosis-Related Groupers for reimbursements and resource management. We assessed the quality of inpatient health records, the availability of standard discharge summaries and coded clinical data and the congruence between inpatient health records and discharge summaries in […]
Linkage to care, mobility and retention of HIV-positive postpartum women in antiretroviral therapy services in South Africa
Introduction: Linkage to care and mobility postpartum present challenges to long-term retention after initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) in pregnancy, but there are few insights from sub-Saharan Africa. We aimed to describe postpartum linkage to care, mobility, retention and viral suppression after ART initiation in pregnancy. Methods: Using routine electronic data we assessed HIV-specific health contacts […]
Effect of the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccination on invasive pneumococcal disease in The Gambia: a population-based surveillance study
Background Little information is available about the effect of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) in low-income countries. We measured the effect of these vaccines on invasive pneumococcal disease in The Gambia where the 7-valent vaccine (PCV7) was introduced in August, 2009, followed by the 13-valent vaccine (PCV13) in May, 2011. Methods We conducted population-based surveillance for […]
The use of a speaking book® to enhance vaccine knowledge among caregivers in the Gambia: A study using qualitative and quantitative methods
Objectives To measure the usefulness of a Speaking Book (SB) as an educational tool for enhancing knowledge, understanding and recall of key vaccine-related information among caregivers in The Gambia, as well as its acceptability and relevance as a health promotion tool for caregivers and healthcare workers. Design and setting We developed a multimedia educational tool, […]
