Development and validation of a questionnaire for the assessment of physical activity in epidemiological studies in Sub-Saharan Africa

Recurrent cholera outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) attracted a lot of research interest, raising questions about the effectiveness of current prevention and control methods. However, research on cholera and other water-borne diseases in Africa is dominated by epidemiological studies, while investigations on the environmental drivers and reservoirs of cholera remain scarce. The current discourse relating cholera to the environment in SSA is often limited to the rudimentary statement that, “cholera is caused by the consumption of contaminated water and food”. Yet, beyond this simplistic view, literature elsewhere shows that cholera outbreaks are controlled by its complex interactions with environmental drivers and reservoirs. This brings to question whether cholera can be eradicated in SSA without understanding these complex interactions. The current review seeks to (1) highlight the nature and dynamics of recent cholera outbreaks in SSA, (2) discuss the importance of environmental reservoirs of Vibrio cholerae, and anthropogenic and hydroclimatic drivers in controlling the dynamics of cholera outbreaks, and (3) highlight key knowledge gaps and future research directions, and the need to harness emerging research tools such as modeling, machine learning, data mining, and genomics techniques to better understand the cholera dynamics. By bringing to fore these often-overlooked issues in cholera research, we seek to stimulate discussion, and promote a shift toward cross-disciplinary research on cholera and other water-borne diseases in SSA and beyond.

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Leisure-Time Physical Activity is Associated with reduced Risk of Breast Cancer and Triple Negative Breast Cancer in Nigerian Women

10.21203/rs.2.14785/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Galya Bigman ◽

Sally N. Adebamowo ◽

King-David Terna Yawe ◽

Monday Yilkudi ◽

Oluwole Olaomi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Triple Negative Breast Cancer ◽

Triple Negative ◽

Leisure Time Physical Activity ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

African Women ◽

Nigerian Women ◽

Hormone Receptor Positive ◽

Sub Saharan

Abstract Background: Physical activity (PA) is associated with reduced risk of breast cancer and its various subtypes but this association is less well described in African women, particularly in women with triple-negative breast cancer that is more common in Sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, we examined the associations between leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and breast cancer in total and by subtypes in Nigerian women.Methods: We studied 472 newly diagnosed primary invasive breast cancer patients age-matched (±5years) with 472 controls from the Nigerian Integrative Epidemiology of Breast Cancer (NIBBLE) Study enrolled from January 2014 to July 2016. We derived the average amount of time spent on LTPA per week over the past year using a modified Nurses’ Health Study-II physical activity questionnaire. We calculated the total metabolic equivalents (METs) for each reported LTPA per hour/week (i.e. walking, cycling, and dancing) and compared odds of breast cancer among participants who attained the World Health Organization (WHO) physical activity(PA) recommendations of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or/and 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity/week with those who did not. In addition, we evaluated these by categories of LTPA in quartiles of METs. We used conditional and unconditional logistic regression models to estimate the adjusted Odds Ratio (OR) of LTPA for overall breast cancer and by molecular subtypes. Results: The mean age (SD) of cases, 44.4 (10.0) years, was similar to that of controls, 43.5 (9.5) after matching. The OR for breast cancer among women who attained the WHO PA recommendations compared with those who did not was 0.64 (95% CI: 0.45-0.90). LTPA was associated with 51% reduced odds of hormone receptor-positive and 65% reduced odds of triple-negative breast cancer. We observed a significant dose-response relationship where women with high levels of LTPA had lower odds of overall breast cancer, triple-negative and hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Conclusions: Increasing LTPA in African women may play a significant role in reducing the incidence of breast cancer, particularly of the more aggressive subtype as triple-negative, which is more prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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Development and validation of a clinical score for prognosis stratification in patients requiring antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa: a prospective open cohort study

Pan African Medical Journal ◽

10.4314/pamj.v10i0.72210 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 10 (0) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

R Gerardo ◽

P Dayana

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Antiretroviral Therapy ◽

Clinical Score ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Development And Validation

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Burden of seasonal influenza in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review protocol

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2018-022949 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (10) ◽

pp. e022949 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Evanson Zondani Sambala ◽

Aaron Mdolo ◽

Richard Banda ◽

Arthur Phiri ◽

Alison B Wiyeh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Seasonal Influenza ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Severe Pneumonia ◽

Respiratory Illness ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Ethical Review ◽

Acute Respiratory Illness ◽

Sub Saharan

IntroductionMeasures of epidemiological burdens are an important contribution to estimating disease severity and determining the at-risk populations for seasonal influenza. In the absence of these data, it is extremely difficult for policy-makers to decide on how to distribute limited resources. This systematic review will synthesise the literature on reported burden of seasonal influenza (eg, morbidity and mortality) in sub-Saharan Africa.Method and analysisWe will include published epidemiological studies that capture the burden estimation of seasonal influenza between 1 January 2000 and 31 August 2018. Studies that have reported disease burden estimates associated to influenza-like illness, acute respiratory illness, acute lower respiratory illness, severe acute respiratory illness and severe or very severe pneumonia using laboratory-confirmed influenza cases will be included. We will perform a multiple electronic database search in PubMed, Embase, African Journals Online, Cochrane, Web of science, CINAHL and Google scholar for eligible studies. The reference lists of relevant studies will also be hand-searched for potentially eligible studies. The titles and abstracts of identified records will be screened independently by two authors. The full-text articles of potentially eligible studies will be assessed independently by two authors. Discrepancies will be resolved by discussion, and by a third author if the first two authors fail to come to a consensus. The measures of the burden of influenza will be aggregated using a meta-analysis for homogeneous studies and narrative synthesis if the studies are heterogeneous. The strength of the evidence will be assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach.Ethics and disseminationThis systematic review will use publicly available data; and as such, no formal ethical review is required. Our findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and also disseminated through conferences and stakeholder meetings.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42017074091.

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The Incidence Patterns Model to Estimate the Distribution of New HIV Infections in Sub-Saharan Africa: Development and Validation of a Mathematical Model

PLoS Medicine ◽

10.1371/journal.pmed.1002121 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. e1002121 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Annick Bórquez ◽

Anne Cori ◽

Erica L. Pufall ◽

Jingo Kasule ◽

Emma Slaymaker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mathematical Model ◽

Hiv Infections ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Development And Validation

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Measuring contraceptive self-efficacy in sub-Saharan Africa: development and validation of the CSESSA scale in Kenya and Nigeria

Contraception X ◽

10.1016/j.conx.2020.100041 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

pp. 100041

Author(s):

Lillian Whiting-Collins ◽

Lindsay Grenier ◽

Peter J. Winch ◽

Amy Tsui ◽

Pamela K. Donohue

Keyword(s):

Self Efficacy ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Development And Validation

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Leisure-Time Physical Activity is Associated with reduced Risk of Breast Cancer and Triple Negative Breast Cancer in Nigerian Women: a matched case-control study

10.21203/rs.2.14785/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Galya Bigman ◽

Sally N. Adebamowo ◽

King-David Terna Yawe ◽

Monday Yilkudi ◽

Oluwole Olaomi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Triple Negative Breast Cancer ◽

Hormone Receptor ◽

Triple Negative ◽

Leisure Time Physical Activity ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

African Women ◽

Hormone Receptor Positive ◽

Sub Saharan

Abstract Background Physical activity is associated with reduced risk of breast cancer and its various subtypes but this association is less known in African women, particularly with triple-negative breast cancer that occurs more frequently in Sub-Saharan Africa compared to developed countries. In this study, we examined the association between leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and breast cancer in total and by its subtypes in Nigerian women. Methods Overall, 630 newly diagnosed patients with primary invasive breast cancer were age-matched (±5years) with 630 controls from the Nigerian Integrative Epidemiology of Breast Cancer (NIBBLE) Study from 01/2014-07/2016. We derived the average amount of time spent on LTPA per week over the past year using a modified Nurses’ Health Study-II physical activity questionnaire. We calculated the total metabolic equivalents (METs) for each reported LTPA per hour/week (i.e. walking, cycling, and dancing) and compared odds of breast cancer among participants who attained the World Health Organization (WHO) physical activity(PA) recommendations of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or/and 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity/week with those who did not. In addition, we evaluated this by categories of LTPA in quartiles of METs. We used conditional and unconditional logistic regression models to estimate the adjusted Odds Ratio(OR) of LTPA with overall breast cancer and by hormone receptor-positive and triple-negative breast cancer. Results The mean ages of cases and controls were similar after matching, 42.5±10.1 and 41.5±9.2 years (mean±SD), respectively. Women who attained the WHO PA recommendations had a 42% reduction in the odds of having breast cancer(OR=0.58 95% CI:0.43-0.78) compared with those who did not. LTPA was associated with reduced odds of having hormone receptor-positive by 41% and significantly associated with reduced odds of having triple-negative breast cancer by 45%. In addition, a significant dose-response relationship was observed, women with higher levels of LTPA had lower odds of having overall breast cancer as well as having triple-negative and hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Conclusions Increasing LTPA in African women can play a significant role in reducing the incidence of breast cancer, particularly of the more aggressive subtype as triple-negative, which is more prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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Sedentary Lifestyle and Hypertension in a Periurban Area of Mbarara, South Western Uganda: A Population Based Cross Sectional Survey

International Journal of Hypertension ◽

10.1155/2018/8253948 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Bruce Twinamasiko ◽

Edward Lukenge ◽

Stella Nabawanga ◽

Winnie Nansalire ◽

Lois Kobusingye ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Sedentary Lifestyle ◽

Fasting Blood Glucose ◽

Population Based ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Noncommunicable Disease ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Sub Saharan

Introduction. Globally, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and diabetes constitute over 50% of the noncommunicable disease (NCD) burden and projections indicate Sub-Saharan Africa will experience a larger burden. Urbanization on the continent is contributing to the change in lifestyle such as diet and physical activity, which may increase the risk for CVDs. There is lack of sufficient data from the African continent on hypertension and its association with sedentary lifestyle. Methods. We conducted a cross sectional study in periurban Uganda among adults aged at least 35 years. We administered questions on diet, physical activity, and smoking. We took anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose. Hypertension was defined as systolic BP>=140 and/or diastolic BP>=90 and/or history of hypertension medications. Logistic regression was used to determine the crude and adjusted odds ratios for the factors associated with hypertension. Results. We enrolled 310 participants and 50% were female. The prevalence of systolic hypertension was 24.5%, diastolic hypertension was 31%, obesity was 46%, and diabetes was 9%. Of those with hypertension (n=76), 53 participants (69.7%) were not aware they had high BP. Sedentary lifestyle was significantly associated with hypertension even after adjusting for age and obesity. Conclusion. There is a high prevalence of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes and majority of participants with hypertension are not aware. Participants with a sedentary work style should be targeted for prevention and screening.

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