Correction to Freshwater Availability and Water Fetching Distance Affect Child Health in Sub-Saharan Africa

Parents face trade-offs between investing in child health and other fitness enhancing activities. In humans, parental investment theory has mostly been examined through the analysis of differential child outcomes, with less emphasis on the actions parents take to further a particular offspring’s condition. Here, we make use of household data on health-seeking for children in a high mortality context where such behaviours are crucial for offspring survival. Using Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from 17 sub-Saharan African countries, we examine whether maternal factors (age, health, marital status) and child factors (birth order, health, sex, age) independently influence parental investment in health-seeking behaviours: two preventative behaviours (malaria net use and immunization) and two curative ones (treating fever and diarrhoea). Results indicate that children with lower birth order, older mothers and mothers with better health status have higher odds of investment. The effects of a child’s sex and health status and whether the mother is polygynously married vary depending on the type of health-seeking behaviour (preventative versus curative). We discuss how these results square with predictions from parental investment theory pertaining to the state of mothers and children, and reflect on some potential mechanisms and directions for future research.

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A systematic review of existing national priorities for child health research in sub-Saharan Africa

Health Research Policy and Systems ◽

10.1186/1478-4505-3-7 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

George H Swingler ◽

James H Irlam ◽

William M Macharia ◽

Félix Tietche ◽

Martin M Meremikwu

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Child Health ◽

Health Research ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Child Health Research

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Child Health and Mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa: Trends, Causes, and Forecasts

Continuity and Change in Sub-Saharan African Demography ◽

10.4324/9781315879444-13 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 84-101

Keyword(s):

Child Health ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Health And Mortality

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Erratum to: Associations in the continuum of care for maternal, newborn and child health: a population-based study of 12 sub-Saharan Africa countries

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-016-3739-9 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Patrick Opiyo Owili ◽

Miriam Adoyo Muga ◽

Yiing-Jenq Chou ◽

Yi-Hsin Elsa Hsu ◽

Nicole Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Child Health ◽

Continuum Of Care ◽

Population Based ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Population Based Study ◽

Newborn And Child Health ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

And Child Health ◽

The Continuum

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

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980020003018 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

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.

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

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182008004836 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 135 (12) ◽

pp. 1447-1455 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

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.

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