Diet and mortality rates in Sub-Saharan Africa: Stages in the nutrition transition

Abstract In the context of the nutrition transition, women in sub-Sahara Africa are a critical target group from a nutrition standpoint, and they experience significant discrimination in food production. Food-based, women-centered strategies are recommended to address nutrient gaps, and to educate and empower women. In this context, local natural resources, such as neglected and underutilized plant species (NUS), may contribute to adding nutritional value, enriching diet diversity, and ensuring nutrition security. The aim of the current narrative review is to investigate the nutritional status of the sub-Saharan African population and the potential role of local agriculture strategies in improving food production and diet diversity and in expanding income-generating activities for women. The nutritional properties of the most important regional NUS are also discussed.

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Abstract P359: High Blood Pressure in African HIV+ Patients Increases Long-Term Mortality

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.129.suppl_1.p359 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 129 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Gerald S Bloomfield ◽

Joseph W Hogan ◽

Alfred Keter ◽

Thomas L Holland ◽

Edwin Sang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

High Blood Pressure ◽

Regression Models ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Proportional Hazards Regression ◽

Crude Mortality ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

The Impact

Background: Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the modern era are at risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. High blood pressure (BP) is common in sub-Saharan Africa, however, global attention in the region has been mostly focused on HIV. The impact of BP on mortality among adults with HIV in this region has not been reported. Objective: The objective was to determine the impact of BP on mortality among HIV seropositive (+) adults without acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in Kenya. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of de-identified medical records of the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare HIV treatment program between 2005 and 2010. We excluded patients with AIDS, who were <16 or >80 years old, or with data out of acceptable ranges. There were 49,475 HIV+ individuals who satisfied inclusion/exclusion criteria (Figure 1). Missing data for key covariates was addressed by inverse probability weighting. We summarize crude mortality rates across BP categories, separately by gender. We used proportional hazards regression models to characterize the effect of BP on mortality, adjusting for baseline demographic and clinical factors. We subdivided the sample according to those who were clinically stable, defined as having ≥CD4 350 or WHO Stage 1. Results: Our sample was 74% (36,616 of 49,475) women. Mortality rates for men and women were 3.8/100 and 1.8/100 person-years, respectively. Crude mortality rate among clinically stable men was higher with systolic BP ≥140 mmHg (3.0, 95% CI: 1.6-5.5) than with normal systolic BP (1.1, 95% CI: 0.7-1.7). In weighted proportional hazards regression models, clinically stable men with systolic BP ≥140 mmHg carried a higher mortality risk than normotensive men (HR: 2.39, 95% CI: 0.94 to 6.08). Conclusions: Blood pressure is an important aspect of the care of HIV+ patients in sub-Saharan Africa. High systolic BP is associated with mortality among clinically stable men without AIDS. Further investigation into cause of death in warranted.

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On African Responsibility for Economic Problems

Issue A Journal of Opinion ◽

10.1017/s0047160700502546 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

pp. 50-53

Author(s):

Richard E. Mshomba

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Infant Mortality ◽

Life Expectancy ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

African Countries ◽

Economic Problems ◽

High Infant Mortality ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Poor Infrastructure

African countries, like many other developing countries, suffer the problems associated with poverty—malnutrition, poor health services, high infant mortality rates, low life expectancy, high illiteracy rates, poor infrastructure, and inadequate technology. These problems are especially severe in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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Health trends in Sub-Saharan Africa: Conflicting evidence from infant mortality rates and adult heights

Economics & Human Biology ◽

10.1016/j.ehb.2010.05.015 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 273-288 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Yoko Akachi ◽

David Canning

Keyword(s):

Infant Mortality ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Health Trends ◽

Conflicting Evidence ◽

Sub Saharan

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Strengthening HIV services for pregnant women: an opportunity to reduce maternal mortality rates in Southern Africa/sub-Saharan Africa

BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology ◽

10.1111/j.1471-0528.2010.02726.x ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 118 (2) ◽

pp. 219-225 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

J Moodley ◽

RC Pattinson ◽

C Baxter ◽

S Sibeko ◽

Q Abdool Karim

Keyword(s):

Maternal Mortality ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Southern Africa ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Hiv Services ◽

Sub Saharan

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Country level economic disparities in child injury mortality

Archives of Disease in Childhood ◽

10.1136/archdischild-2013-305847 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 100 (Suppl 1) ◽

pp. S29-S33 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Uzma Rahim Khan ◽

Mathilde Sengoelge ◽

Nukhba Zia ◽

Junaid Abdul Razzak ◽

Marie Hasselberg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Negative Correlation ◽

Significant Negative Correlation ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Age Group ◽

Child Injury ◽

Injury Mortality ◽

Economic Level ◽

Resource Poor ◽

Sub Saharan

BackgroundInjuries are a neglected cause of child mortality globally and the burden is unequally distributed in resource poor settings. The aim of this study is to explore the share and distribution of child injury mortality across country economic levels and the correlation between country economic level and injuries.MethodsAll-cause and injury mortality rates per 100 000 were extracted for 187 countries for the 1–4 age group and under 5s from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Countries were grouped into four economic levels. Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was used to determine correlation with injury mortality.ResultsFor all regions and country economic levels, the share of injuries in all-cause mortality was greater when considering the 1–4 age group than under 5s, ranging from 36.6% in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries to 10.6% in Sub-Saharan Africa. Except for Sub-Saharan Africa, there is a graded association between country economic level and 1–4 injury mortality across regions, with all low-income countries having the highest rates. Except for the two regions with the highest overall injury mortality rates, there is a significant negative correlation between GDP and injury mortality in Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe/Central Asia, Asia East/South-East and Pacific and North Africa/ Middle East.ConclusionsChild injury mortality is unevenly distributed across regions and country economic level to the detriment of poorer countries. A significant negative correlation exists between GDP and injury in all regions, exception for the most resource poor where the burden of injuries is highest.

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The Effect of Infrastructure on Water-Related Diseases in Rural African Communities

Vanderbilt Undergraduate Research Journal ◽

10.15695/vurj.v8i0.3558 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Victoria M. Bates

Keyword(s):

Developed Countries ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

African Countries ◽

Infrastructure Systems ◽

Related Disease ◽

Disease Mortality ◽

Hygiene Measures ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Sanitation Infrastructure

Water-related diseases are still a leading cause of death in developing countries. Though the relationship between water-related disease mortality rates and water sanitation and hygiene measures is well documented, the means to provide proper water and sanitation treatment remain elusive. This paper examines the effect of hard infrastructure on water-related disease rates and proposes that building infrastructure is the best way to reduce the prevalence of water-related disease in rural African villages. It examines the history of sanitation infrastructure in developed countries as well as why similar measures are difficult to implement in sub-Saharan Africa. This paper analyzes three rural African countries’ sanitation infrastructure systems (Botswana, Rwanda, Swaziland) to recommend best practices in rural African villages. Recommendations for future infrastructure systems are given as well as how governments can best implement those systems to reduce water-related disease mortality rates.

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Risk Factors Associated with Neonatal Sepsis: A Case Study at a Specialist Hospital in Ghana

The Scientific World JOURNAL ◽

10.1155/2019/9369051 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Peter Adatara ◽

Agani Afaya ◽

Solomon Mohammed Salia ◽

Richard Adongo Afaya ◽

Kennedy Diema Konlan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Neonatal Sepsis ◽

Strong Association ◽

Mode Of Delivery ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Care Utilization ◽

Neonatal Deaths ◽

Antenatal Care Utilization ◽

Sub Saharan

Worldwide, neonatal sepsis accounts for an estimated 26% of under-five deaths, with sub-Saharan Africa having the highest mortality rates. Though worldwide neonatal deaths have decreased by over 3.6 million per year since 2000, neonatal sepsis remains a notable hindrance to the progress in the decline of cause-specific mortality rates especially in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed at examining the risk factors of neonatal sepsis at the Trauma and Specialist Hospital, Winneba. The study was an unmatched case control retrospective study. Cases were neonates who had sepsis with their index mothers and controls were neonates who did not have sepsis with their index mothers. Neonatal and maternal medical records were retrieved from January to December 2017. Data abstraction lasted for one month and 2650 folders for the neonates and their index mothers were retrieved. Nine hundred (900) neonatal folders were considered valid for the study and likewise for the maternal folders. One hundred and three (103) folders were considered cases while 797 were considered as controls. Data were entered using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 22. Logistic regression was used to determine the risk of neonatal sepsis. Maternal factors that predicted the occurrence of sepsis among neonates were parity (p<0.027), mode of delivery (p<0.001), bleeding disorder (p<0.001), and PROM (p<0.001). Neonatal risk factors which predicted the occurrence of sepsis were APGAR score in the first and fifth minute (p<0.001), resuscitation at birth (p<0.004), duration of stay in the facility (p<0.001), and neonatal age on admission (p<0.001). The study found both maternal and neonatal factors to have a strong association with the risk of developing neonatal sepsis. Encouraging maternal antenatal care utilization would help identify the risk factors during prenatal and postnatal care and appropriate interventions implemented to reduce the likelihood of the neonate developing sepsis.

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