Soil-transmitted helminthiasis among mothers and their pre-school children on Unguja Island, Zanzibar with emphasis upon ascariasis

Parasitology ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 135 (12) ◽  
pp. 1447-1455 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. STOTHARD ◽  
E. IMISON ◽  
M. D. FRENCH ◽  
J. C. SOUSA-FIGUEIREDO ◽  
I. S. KHAMIS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
School Children ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The North ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
And Child Health ◽  
Soil Transmitted Helminthiasis

SUMMARYSoil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) is a scourge to the health and well-being of infants and pre-schoolchildren throughout many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. To improve maternal and child health, regular de-worming is recommended and often delivered from mother and child health (MCH) clinics, yet there have been few studies monitoring the progress and impact of interventions on local levels of disease. A cross-sectional parasitological survey, supplemented with questionnaires, was therefore conducted across 10 Ungujan villages examining mothers (n=322) and their pre-school children (n=359). Within children, mean prevalence of ascariasis, trichuriasis and hookworm was 8·6% (95% CI 5·5–11·8), 18·9% (95% CI 14·5–23·4) and 1·7% (95% CI 0·2–3·5) while in mothers mean prevalence was 6·7% (95% CI 3·7–9·7), 11·9% (95% CI 8·0–15·8) and 1·9% (95% CI 0·2–3·5), respectively. There was, however, significant spatial heterogeneity of STH by village, 2 villages having much elevated levels of infection, although general access to anthelminthics and utilization of village MCH clinics was good. Levels of parasite aggregation (k) were determined and a multilevel logistic regression model identified access to a household latrine [OR=0·56 (95% CI 0·32–0·99)] and having an infected household member [OR=3·72 (95% CI 2·22–6·26)] as observed risk factors. To further investigate worm burdens of Ascaris lumbricoides, adult worms were expelled using Combantrin® and measured. A negative relationship between mean worm burden and mean worm mass was found. Villages in the north of Unguja represent locations where there is elevated prevalence of both ascariasis and trichuriasis and it appears that local factors are particularly favourable for transmission of these helminths. From a perspective of control, in such locations, intervention efforts should be stepped up and greater efforts placed upon improving household sanitation.

scholarly journals Housing and child health in sub-Saharan Africa: A cross-sectional analysis

PLoS Medicine ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. e1003055 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy S. Tusting ◽  
Peter W. Gething ◽  
Harry S. Gibson ◽  
Brian Greenwood ◽  
Jakob Knudsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Cross Sectional Analysis ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Sectional Analysis ◽  
And Child Health

scholarly journals Community perspectives on maternal and child health during nutrition and economic transition in sub-Saharan Africa

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniella Watson ◽  
Sarah H Kehoe ◽  
Agnes Erzse ◽  
Adélaïde Compaoré ◽  
Cornelius Debpuur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Nutritional Status ◽  
Maternal And Child Health ◽  
Child Nutrition ◽  
Economic Transition ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Maternal And Child Nutrition ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
And Child Health

Abstract Objective: To explore community perceptions on maternal and child nutrition issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. Design: Thirty focus groups with men and women from three communities facilitated by local researchers. Setting: One urban (Soweto, South Africa) and two rural settings (Navrongo, Ghana and Nanoro, Burkina Faso) at different stages of economic transition. Participants: Two hundred thirty-seven men and women aged 18–55 years, mostly subsistence farmers in Navrongo and Nanoro and low income in Soweto. Results: Differences in community concerns about maternal and child health and nutrition reflected the transitional stage of the country. Community priorities revolved around poor nutrition and hunger caused by poverty, lack of economic opportunity and traditional gender roles. Men and women felt they had limited control over food and other resources. Women wanted men to take more responsibility for domestic chores, including food provision, while men wanted more involvement in their families but felt unable to provide for them. Solutions suggested focusing on ways of increasing control over economic production, family life and domestic food supplies. Rural communities sought agricultural support, while the urban community wanted regulation of the food environment. Conclusions: To be acceptable and effective, interventions to improve maternal and child nutrition need to take account of communities’ perceptions of their needs and address wider determinants of nutritional status and differences in access to food reflecting the stage of the country’s economic transition. Findings suggest that education and knowledge are necessary but not sufficient to support improvements in women’s and children’s nutritional status.

scholarly journals Harnessing the PRECISE network as a platform to strengthen global capacity for maternal and child health research in sub-Saharan Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meriel Flint-O’Kane ◽  
◽  
Peter von Dadelszen ◽  
Prestige Tatenda Makanga ◽  
Esperança Sevene ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Maternal And Child Health ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Child Health Research ◽  
And Child Health ◽  
Global Capacity

scholarly journals Birth registration and child undernutrition in sub-Saharan Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 1757-1767 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ornella Comandini ◽  
Stefano Cabras ◽  
Elisabetta Marini
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Status ◽  
Permutation Test ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Wealth Quintile ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Birth Registration ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Sub Saharan

AbstractObjectiveIn many countries of the world millions of people are not registered at birth. However, in order to assess children’s nutritional status it is necessary to have an exact knowledge of their age. In the present paper we discuss the effects of insufficient or imprecise age data on estimates of undernutrition prevalence.DesignBirth registration rates and levels of stunting, underweight and wasting were retrieved from Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys and Demographic and Health Surveys of thirty-seven sub-Saharan African countries, considering the subdivision in wealth quintiles. The composition of the cross-sectional sample used for nutritional evaluation was analysed using a permutation test. Logistic regression was applied to analyse the relationship between birth registration and undernutrition. The 95 % probability intervals and Student’s t test were used to evaluate the effect of age bias and error.ResultsHeterogeneous sampling designs were detected among countries, with different percentages of children selected for anthropometry. Further, registered children were slightly more represented within samples used for nutritional analysis than in the total sample. A negative relationship between birth registration and undernutrition was recognized, with registered children showing a better nutritional status than unregistered ones, even within each wealth quintile. The over- or underestimation of undernutrition in the case of systematic over- or underestimation of age, respectively, the latter being more probable, was quantified up to 28 %. Age imprecision was shown to slightly overestimate undernutrition.ConclusionsSelection bias towards registered children and underestimation of children’s age can lead to an underestimation of the prevalence of undernutrition.

scholarly journals Male involvement in family planning; an often neglected determinant of contraceptive prevalence in Sub-Saharan Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (9) ◽  
pp. 260
Author(s):  
Mamah Johnbosco ◽  
Okafor Love ◽  
Egbuji Chuma ◽  
Mgbafulu Christian ◽  
Ibo Chukwunenye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Family Planning ◽  
Child Health ◽  
Maternal And Child Health ◽  
Male Involvement ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Reproductive Health Services ◽  
International Conference ◽  
Contraceptive Prevalence ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
And Child Health

<p class="abstract">For more than two decades, there have been efforts to include men in family planning programmes. Male involvement was first echoed on a global scale at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) plan of action, Cairo 1994.<strong> </strong>This article is aimed at highlighting the importance of male involvement in increasing contraceptive prevalence in Sub-Saharan Africa.<strong> </strong>A literature search using Google, Google scholar, PubMed, Hinary, Medical textbooks and related journals. Relevant articles were extracted and used for this review.<strong> </strong>Majority of the literature assessed showed alienation of men in family planning and other reproductive health services despite the declaration made at the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, 1994. Findings also showed significant level of awareness of modern family planning methods amongst men but very low support for its use by themselves and/or their spouses or partners. Some of the reasons for such apathy include fears of side effects, non-availability, high cost and ignorance. The importance of involving men in family planning services cannot be over stressed. There are overwhelming evidence that with male support, there would be greater uptake and sustained use of family planning. This will lead to improved maternal and child health indices especially in our setting where the burden of the morbidity and mortality of maternal and child health is greatest.</p>

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