Prevalence of risk factors for human immunodeficiency virus among women of reproductive age in Sierra Leone: a 2019 nationwide survey
Background and aim: For over 40 years of the HIV/AIDS global epidemic, no effective cure nor vaccine is yet available, making the current control strategies focused on curbing new infections through risk reduction. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of HIV risk factors and their associated socio-demographics among women of reproductive age in Sierra Leone. […]
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 […]
“If I had known, I would have applied”: Poor communication, job dissatisfaction, and attrition of rural health workers in Sierra Leone
Background: Sierra Leone’s health outcomes rank among the worst in the world. A major challenge is the shortage of primary healthcare workers (HCWs) in rural areas due to especially high rates of attrition. This study was undertaken to determine the drivers of job dissatisfaction and poor retention among Sierra Leone’s rural HCWs. Methods: Interviews were […]
Cessation of exclusive breastfeeding and seasonality, but not small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, are associated with environmental enteric dysfunction: A birth cohort study amongst infants in rural Kenya
Background: Environmental Enteric Dysfunction (EED) is a chronic intestinal inflammatory disorder of unclear aetiology prevalent amongst children in low-income settings and associated with stunting. We aimed to characterise development of EED and its putative risk factors amongst rural Kenyan infants. Methods: In a birth cohort study in Junju, rural coastal Kenya, between August 2015 and […]
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 […]
Anaemia and its determinants among young children aged 6–23 months in Ethiopia (2005–2016)
Anaemia in children remains a significant public health threat. Recent numbers from Ethiopia showed that more than two-thirds of children under the age of 2 years were anaemic. This study aimed to investigate the determinants of anaemia throughout Ethiopia over 11 years, making use of the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) rounds 2005, 2011 […]
Reduction in child mortality in Ethiopia: Analysis of data from demographic and health surveys
Background To examine changes in under-5 mortality, coverage of child survival interventions and nutritional status of children in Ethiopia between 2000 and 2011. Using the Lives Saved Tool, the impact of changes in coverage of child survival interventions on under-5 lives saved was estimated. Methods Estimates of child mortality were generated using three Ethiopia Demographic […]
A multi-country cross-sectional study of self-reported sexually transmitted infections among sexually active men in sub-Saharan Africa
Background: Despite the importance of self-reporting health in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) control, studies on self-reported sexually transmitted infections (SR-STIs) are scanty, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study assessed the prevalence and factors associated with SR-STIs among sexually active men (SAM) in SSA. Methods: Analysis was done based on the current Demographic and Health […]
TB Incidence in an Adolescent Cohort in South Africa
Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health problem globally. Little is known about TB incidence in adolescents who are a proposed target group for new TB vaccines. We conducted a study to determine the TB incidence rates and risk factors for TB disease in a cohort of school-going adolescents in a high TB burden […]
Time to recovery and its predictors among children 6–59 months with acute malnutrition admitted to community inpatient therapeutic feeding centers in Katsina State, Northwest Nigeria: a retrospective review of health records (2010–2016)
Background: Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) among children under five years of age remains a huge public health and economic burden in Sub-Saharan Africa. We investigated time to recovery and its predictors among children aged 6 to 59 months admitted into Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) stabilisation centres for complicated severe acute malnutrition and whether the […]
