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 […]
Small-quantity, lipid-based nutrient supplements provided to women during pregnancy and 6 mo postpartum and to their infants from 6 mo of age increase the mean attained length of 18-mo-old children in semi-urban Ghana: A randomized controlled trial
Background: Childhood stunting usually begins in utero and continues after birth; therefore, its reduction must involve actions across different stages of early life. Objective: We evaluated the efficacy of small-quantity, lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNSs) provided during pregnancy, lactation, and infancy on attained size by 18 mo of age. Design: In this partially double-blind, individually randomized […]
mHealth-supported delivery of an evidence-Based family home-visiting intervention in Sierra Leone: Protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial
Background: Past trauma and exposure to violence have been related to poor emotion regulation and household violence, which can have persistent mental health effects across generations. The Family Strengthening Intervention for Early Childhood Development (FSI-ECD/called Sugira Muryango in Rwanda) is an evidence-based behavioral home-visiting intervention to promote caregiver mental health, positive parenting practices, and early […]
Text message reminders and unconditional monetary incentives to improve measles vaccination in western Kenya: Study protocol for the mobile and scalable innovations for measles immunization randomized controlled trial
Background: Globally, 21 million children do not receive the measles vaccine each year. With high levels of mobile phone access and ownership, opportunities exist to leverage mobile health technologies to generate demand for immunization. Objective: The aim of the Mobile and Scalable Innovations for Measles Immunization trial is to determine if text message (short message […]
Millennium development health metrics: Where do Africa’s children and women of childbearing age live?
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have prompted an expansion in approaches to deriving health metrics to measure progress toward their achievement. Accurate measurements should take into account the high degrees of spatial heterogeneity in health risks across countries, and this has prompted the development of sophisticated cartographic techniques for mapping and modeling risks. Conversion of […]
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 […]
Measuring the capacity utilization of public district hospitals in Tunisia: Using dual data envelopment analysis approach
Background: Public district hospitals (PDHs) in Tunisia are not operating at full plant capacity and underutilize their operating budget. Methods: Individual PDHs capacity utilization (CU) is measured for 2000 and 2010 using dual data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach with shadow prices input and output restrictions. The CU is estimated for 101 of 105 PDH in […]
Effectiveness of advertising availability of prenatal ultrasound on uptake of antenatal care in rural Uganda: A cluster randomized trial
In rural Uganda pregnant women often lack access to health services, do not attend antenatal care, and tend to utilize traditional healers/birth attendants. We hypothesized that receiving a message advertising that “you will be able to see your baby by ultrasound” would motivate rural Ugandan women who otherwise might use a traditional birth attendant to […]
Women’s preferences for place of delivery in rural Tanzania: A population-based discrete choice experiment
Objectives. We fielded a population-based discrete choice experiment (DCE) in rural western Tanzania, where only one third of women deliver children in a health facility, to evaluate health-system factors that influence women’s delivery decisions. Methods. Women were shown choice cards that described 2 hypothetical health centers by means of 6 attributes (distance, cost, type of […]
Magnitude and associated factors of postpartum depression among women in Nekemte town, East Wollega zone, west Ethiopia, 2019: A community-based study
Background Postpartum depression is a non-psychotic disorder that happens during the first 1year after childbirth. It affects both the mother’s health and child’s development and is given significant public health concern in developed countries. However, in developing countries including Ethiopia, postnatal care is mainly concerned with obstetric problems and the baby’s health, while the psychological […]