scholarly journals Recent Underweight and Overweight Trends by Rural–Urban Residence among Women in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

2014 ◽  
Vol 145 (2) ◽  
pp. 352-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay M Jaacks ◽  
Meghan M Slining ◽  
Barry M Popkin
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Urban Residence ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Rate Of Increase ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Sub Saharan

AbstractBackground: Long-term trends mask critical recent dynamics in the prevalence of under- and overweight.Objective: The objective of this study was to compare annualized prevalence rates of both under- and overweight among nonpregnant women aged 19–49 y during the periods covering 1) the 1990s–the early 2000s and 2) the early 2000s–the late 2000s or early 2010s, by rural–urban residence.Methods: Data are from nationally representative surveys (29 Demographic and Health Surveys and 4 national surveys). Standardized protocols were used to measure weight and height. Underweight was defined as body mass index (BMI) < 18.5 kg/m2 and overweight as BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2.Results: From the 1990s to the early 2000s, most countries were making progress on decreasing the prevalence of underweight, especially in rural areas. Although many countries continued to make progress more recently, several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa that previously had a decreasing prevalence of underweight now have an increasing prevalence of underweight. For example, in rural areas of Senegal, the prevalence of underweight decreased 0.23% annually between 1992 and 2005, then increased 1.60% annually between 2005 and 2010. Meanwhile, the prevalence of overweight is increasing in nearly all countries, and in approximately half of all countries, the rate of increase is greater in rural areas than in urban areas. Although underweight persists as more prevalent than overweight in rural areas of many East Asian, South Asian, and Sub-Saharan African countries, the ratio of underweight to overweight in many countries has decreased over time, indicating that this trend is reversing.Conclusions: Select countries in Sub-Saharan Africa may be more susceptible to food crises and should be targets for intervention. At the same time, global health efforts need to focus on preventing overweight, particularly in rural areas, which are quickly catching up to their urban counterparts.

How Mobile Technologies Are Leading to Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 1719-1726
Author(s):  
Nigel McKelvey ◽  
Adam Crossan ◽  
Kevin Curran
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
African Countries ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Technology Focus

Mobile technology today is increasingly being used to help improve underdeveloped and developing areas such as sub-Saharan Africa. With the statistics showing the number of adults in Africa owning mobile devices steadily increasing, mobile technology has been a popular area of interest to use to help improve areas such as healthcare and education throughout African cities and rural areas. Common that ways mobile technology is being used to help the residents of sub-Saharan Africa are in the sectors of health care and education. Mobile technologies being used in these areas whilst simple are incredibly effective and successful in helping to better the quality of health in education in sub-Saharan Africa. Many of the projects and systems developed using mobile technology focus mainly on urban areas. While reports state the huge increase in the number of those using mobile devices in Africa, along with the large estimated increase in the coming years, the difference between rural African countries and countries which contain urban cities is substantial.

scholarly journals Educational Assortative Mating in Sub-Saharan Africa: Compositional Changes and Implications for Household Wealth Inequality

Demography ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Maria Pesando
Keyword(s):  
Assortative Mating ◽  
Social Stratification ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Wealth Inequality ◽  
Household Wealth ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Educational Assortative Mating ◽  
Sub Saharan

Abstract Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is undergoing rapid transformations in the realm of union formation in tandem with significant educational expansion and rising labor force participation rates. Concurrently, the region remains the least developed and most unequal along multiple dimensions of human and social development. In spite of this unique scenario, never has the social stratification literature examined patterns and implications of educational assortative mating for inequality in SSA. Using 126 Demographic and Health Surveys from 39 SSA countries between 1986 and 2016, this study is the first to document changing patterns of educational assortative mating by marriage cohort, subregion, and household location of residence and relate them to prevailing sociological theories on mating and development. Results show that net of shifts in educational distributions, mating has increased over marriage cohorts in all subregions except for Southern Africa, with increases driven mostly by rural areas. Trends in rural areas align with the status attainment hypothesis, whereas trends in urban areas are consistent with the inverted U-curve framework and the increasing applicability of the general openness hypothesis. The inequality analysis conducted through a combination of variance decomposition and counterfactual approaches reveals that mating accounts for a nonnegligible share (3% to 12%) of the cohort-specific inequality in household wealth, yet changes in mating over time hardly move time trends in wealth inequality, which is in line with findings from high-income societies.

scholarly journals Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from six national phone surveys

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. e055159
Author(s):  
Shelton Kanyanda ◽  
Yannick Markhof ◽  
Philip Wollburg ◽  
Alberto Zezza
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
Herd Immunity ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Demographic Attributes

ObjectivesTo estimate the willingness to accept a COVID-19 vaccine in six sub-Saharan African countries and identify differences in acceptance across countries and population groups.DesignCross-country comparable, descriptive study based on a longitudinal survey.SettingSix national surveys from countries representing 38% of the sub-Saharan African population (Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria and Uganda).ParticipantsRespondents of national high-frequency phone surveys, aged 15 years and older, drawn from a nationally representative sample of households.Main outcome measuresWillingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19 if an approved vaccine is provided now and for free, disaggregated by demographic attributes and socioeconomic factors obtained from national household surveys. Correlates of and reasons for vaccine hesitancy.ResultsAcceptance rates in the six sub-Saharan African countries studied are generally high, with at least four in five people willing to be vaccinated in all but one country. Vaccine acceptance ranges from nearly universal in Ethiopia (97.9%, 95% CI 97.2% to 98.6%) to below what would likely be required for herd immunity in Mali (64.5%, 95% CI 61.3% to 67.8%). We find little evidence for systematic differences in vaccine hesitancy by sex or age but some clusters of hesitancy in urban areas, among the better educated, and in richer households. Safety concerns about the vaccine in general and its side effects specifically emerge as the primary reservations toward a COVID-19 vaccine across countries.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that inadequate demand is unlikely to represent the key bottleneck to reaching high COVID-19 vaccine coverage in sub-Saharan Africa. To turn intent into effective demand, targeted information, sensitisation and engagement campaigns bolstering confidence in the safety of approved vaccines and reducing concerns about side effects will be crucial to safeguard the swift progression of vaccine rollout in one of the world’s poorest regions.

scholarly journals Prevalence and sociodemographic factors associated with vision difficulties in Ghana, Gambia, and Togo: a multi-country analysis of recent multiple Indicator cluster surveys

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdul-Aziz Seidu ◽  
Pascal Agbadi ◽  
Precious Adade Duodu ◽  
Nutifafa Eugene Yaw Dey ◽  
Henry Ofori Duah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Survey Design ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Region Of Residence ◽  
Multiple Indicator ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Independent Functioning

Abstract Background The sense of sight is one of the important human sensory abilities that is required for independent functioning and survival. The highest burden of sight-related problems is recorded in low-and middle-income countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the burden, nationally representative analyses to understand the prevalence and determinants of vision difficulties are hard to find. Therefore, this study addressed this knowledge gap by estimating the prevalence of vision difficulties and its correlates in gender-stratified models in three West African countries: Ghana, Gambia, and Togo. Methods The study used the most recent Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys of Ghana (2017–2018), Gambia (2018), and Togo (2017). Summary statistics were used to describe the participants and logistic regression was used to perform the bivariate and multivariate analyses. The analyses were performed using Stata version 14 and the complex survey design of the datasets was accounted for using the ‘svyset’ command. Results Gendered differences were observed for vision difficulties. More women than men reported vision difficulties in Ghana (men: 14.67% vs women: 23.45%) and Togo (men: 14.86% vs women: 23.61%), but more men than women reported vision difficulties in Gambia (men: 11.64% vs women: 9.76%). We also observed gender differences in how age, education, marital status, and region of residence were significantly associated with reported vision difficulties. The direction and magnitude of these relationships were different among men and women across the survey data in Ghana, Gambia, and Togo. Conclusion The findings imply the need to tackle the existing gender inequities that are associated with vision difficulties to promote the quality of life of individuals, especially among older adults.

scholarly journals Prevalence of first adolescent pregnancy and its associated factors in sub-Saharan Africa: A multi-country analysis

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0246308
Author(s):  
Bright Opoku Ahinkorah ◽  
Melissa Kang ◽  
Lin Perry ◽  
Fiona Brooks ◽  
Andrew Hayen
Keyword(s):  
Adolescent Pregnancy ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Associated Factors ◽  
Unmet Need ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Relationship Education ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Sub Saharan

Introduction In low-and middle-income countries, pregnancy-related complications are major causes of death for young women. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of first adolescent pregnancy and its associated factors in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods We undertook a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in 32 sub-Saharan African countries between 2010 and 2018. We calculated the prevalence of first adolescent (aged 15 to 19 years) pregnancy in each country and examined associations between individual and contextual level factors and first adolescent pregnancy. Results Among all adolescents, Congo experienced the highest prevalence of first adolescent pregnancy (44.3%) and Rwanda the lowest (7.2%). However, among adolescents who had ever had sex, the prevalence ranged from 36.5% in Rwanda to 75.6% in Chad. The odds of first adolescent pregnancy was higher with increasing age, working, being married/cohabiting, having primary education only, early sexual initiation, knowledge of contraceptives, no unmet need for contraception and poorest wealth quintile. By contrast, adolescents who lived in rural areas and in the West African sub-region had lower odds of first adolescent pregnancy. Conclusion The prevalence of adolescent pregnancy in sub-Saharan African countries is high. Understanding the predictors of first adolescent pregnancy can facilitate the development of effective social policies such as family planning and comprehensive sex and relationship education in sub-Saharan Africa and can help ensure healthy lives and promotion of well-being for adolescents and their families and communities.

Managing African Urbanization in the Context of Environmental Change

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuaib Lwasa
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Economic Growth ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Governance ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Urbanization Rate ◽  
Development And Management

Africa’s urbanization rate has increased steadily over the past three decades and is reported to be faster than in any other region in the world . It is estimated that by 2030, over half of the African population will be living in urban areas . But the nature of Africa’s urbanization and subsequent form of cities is yet to be critically analyzed in the context of city authorities’ readiness to address the challenges . Evidence is also suggesting that urbanization in African countries is increasingly associated with the high economic growth that has been observed in the last two decades . Both underlying and proximate drivers are responsible for the urbanization, and these include population dynamics, economic growth, legislative designation, increasing densities in rural centers, as well as the growth of mega cities such as Lagos, Cairo and Kinshasa, that are extending to form urban corridors . With the opportunities of urbanization in Sub–Saharan Africa, there are also challenges in the development and management of these cities . Those challenges include provision of social services, sustainable economic development, housing development, urban governance, spatial development guidance and environmental management, climate change adaptation, mitigation and disaster risk reduction . The challenge involves dealing with the development and infrastructure deficit, in addition to required adaption to and mitigation of climate change . This paper examines the current state of urban management in Africa .

scholarly journals Gestational weight gain in low-income and middle-income countries: a modelling analysis using nationally representative data

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. e003423
Author(s):  
Dongqing Wang ◽  
Molin Wang ◽  
Anne Marie Darling ◽  
Nandita Perumal ◽  
Enju Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
North Africa ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Gestational Weight ◽  
Latin America And Caribbean ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Sub Saharan

IntroductionGestational weight gain (GWG) has important implications for maternal and child health and is an ideal modifiable factor for preconceptional and antenatal care. However, the average levels of GWG across all low-income and middle-income countries of the world have not been characterised using nationally representative data.MethodsGWG estimates across time were computed using data from the Demographic and Health Surveys Program. A hierarchical model was developed to estimate the mean total GWG in the year 2015 for all countries to facilitate cross-country comparison. Year and country-level covariates were used as predictors, and variable selection was guided by the model fit. The final model included year (restricted cubic splines), geographical super-region (as defined by the Global Burden of Disease Study), mean adult female body mass index, gross domestic product per capita and total fertility rate. Uncertainty ranges (URs) were generated using non-parametric bootstrapping and a multiple imputation approach. Estimates were also computed for each super-region and region.ResultsLatin America and Caribbean (11.80 kg (95% UR: 6.18, 17.41)) and Central Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia (11.19 kg (95% UR: 6.16, 16.21)) were the super-regions with the highest GWG estimates in 2015. Sub-Saharan Africa (6.64 kg (95% UR: 3.39, 9.88)) and North Africa and Middle East (6.80 kg (95% UR: 3.17, 10.43)) were the super-regions with the lowest estimates in 2015. With the exception of Latin America and Caribbean, all super-regions were below the minimum GWG recommendation for normal-weight women, with Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa and Middle East estimated to meet less than 60% of the minimum recommendation.ConclusionThe levels of GWG are inadequate in most low-income and middle-income countries and regions. Longitudinal monitoring systems and population-based interventions are crucial to combat inadequate GWG in low-income and middle-income countries.

Migration as a Risk Factor for HIV Infection among Youths in Sub-Saharan Africa

2013 ◽  
Vol 648 (1) ◽  
pp. 136-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica A. Magadi
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factor ◽  
Hiv Infection ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Young Female ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Female Migrants ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Living With Hiv

Of the estimated 10 million youths living with HIV worldwide, 63 percent live in sub-Saharan Africa. This article focuses on migration as a risk factor of HIV infection among the youths in sub-Saharan Africa. The study is based on multilevel modeling, applied to the youth sample of the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), conducted from 2003 to 2008 in nineteen countries. The analysis takes into account country-level and regional-level variations. The results suggest that across countries in sub-Saharan Africa, migrants have on average about 50 percent higher odds of HIV infection than nonmigrants. The higher risk among migrants is to a large extent explained by differences in demographic and socioeconomic factors. In particular, migrants are more likely to be older, to have been married, or to live in urban areas, all of which are associated with higher risks of HIV infection. The higher risk among youths who have been married is particularly pronounced among young female migrants.

scholarly journals Preventing Multimorbidity with Lifestyle Interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa: A New Challenge for Public Health in Low and Middle-Income Countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (23) ◽  
pp. 12449
Author(s):  
Ahmad Alkhatib ◽  
Lawrence Achilles Nnyanzi ◽  
Brian Mujuni ◽  
Geofrey Amanya ◽  
Charles Ibingira
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Lifestyle Interventions ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Non Communicable Diseases ◽  
Economic Disparity ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Sub Saharan

Objectives: Low and Middle-Income Countries are experiencing a fast-paced epidemiological rise in clusters of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, forming an imminent rise in multimorbidity. However, preventing multimorbidity has received little attention in LMICs, especially in Sub-Saharan African Countries. Methods: Narrative review which scoped the most recent evidence in LMICs about multimorbidity determinants and appropriated them for potential multimorbidity prevention strategies. Results: MMD in LMICs is affected by several determinants including increased age, female sex, environment, lower socio-economic status, obesity, and lifestyle behaviours, especially poor nutrition, and physical inactivity. Multimorbidity public health interventions in LMICs, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa are currently impeded by local and regional economic disparity, underdeveloped healthcare systems, and concurrent prevalence of communicable and non-communicable diseases. However, lifestyle interventions that are targeted towards preventing highly prevalent multimorbidity clusters, especially hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, can provide early prevention of multimorbidity, especially within Sub-Saharan African countries with emerging economies and socio-economic disparity. Conclusion: Future public health initiatives should consider targeted lifestyle interventions and appropriate policies and guidelines in preventing multimorbidity in LMICs.

scholarly journals The acceptance of covid-19 vaccines in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from 6 national phone surveys

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelton Kanyanda ◽  
Yannick Markhof ◽  
Philip Wollburg ◽  
Alberto Zezza
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Representative Sampling ◽  
Sub Saharan

Introduction Recent debates surrounding the lagging covid-19 vaccination campaigns in low-income countries center around vaccine supply and financing. Yet, relatively little is known about attitudes towards covid-19 vaccines in these countries and in Africa in particular. In this paper, we provide cross-country comparable estimates of the willingness to accept a covid-19 vaccine in six Sub-Saharan African countries. Methods We use data from six national high-frequency phone surveys from countries representing 38% of the Sub-Saharan African population (Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, and Uganda). Samples are drawn from large, nationally representative sampling frames providing a rich set of demographic and socio-economic characteristics by which we disaggregate our analysis. Using a set of re-calibrated survey weights, our analysis adjusts for the selection biases common in remote surveys. Results Acceptance rates in the six Sub-Saharan African countries studied are generally high, with at least four in five people willing to be vaccinated in all but one country. Vaccine acceptance ranges from nearly universal in Ethiopia (97.9%, 97.2% to 98.6%) to below what would likely be required for herd immunity in Mali (64.5%, 61.3% to 67.8%). We find little evidence for systematic differences in vaccine hesitancy by sex or age but some clusters of hesitancy in urban areas, among the better educated, and in richer households. Safety concerns about the vaccine in general and its side effects emerge as the primary reservations toward a covid-19 vaccine across countries. Conclusions Our findings suggest that limited supply, not inadequate demand, likely presents the key bottleneck to reaching high covid-19 vaccine coverage in Sub-Saharan Africa. To turn intent into effective demand, targeted communication campaigns bolstering confidence in the safety of approved vaccines and reducing concerns about side effects will be crucial to safeguard the swift progression of vaccine rollout in one of the world's poorest regions.

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