Background A growing body of research has established a link between intimate partner violence (I... more Background A growing body of research has established a link between intimate partner violence (IPV) and decision-making autonomy on women's mental, physical, and reproductive health consequences, as well as child nutritional status. However, there is a scarcity of research on the effects of IPV and decision-making autonomy on women's nutritional status. To date, no research has been conducted in Ethiopia to investigate the impact of IPV and decision-making autonomy on women's nutritional status. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between IPV and decision-making power at both the individual and community levels on women's nutritional status. Methods We analyzed data from the 2016 Ethiopian demographic and health survey. Our study focused on 3,660 married non-pregnant women of reproductive age. We used the chi-squared test and spearman correlation coefficients for bivariate analysis. The relationship between IPV and decision making power with nutritional status was evaluated using multilevel binary logistic regression models while controlling other determinants. Results Around 28% of women reported at least one of the four types of IPV. Approximately 32% of women had no decision-making power at home. About 27.1% of women were underweight (BMI < 18.5), while 10.6% were overweight/obese (BMI ≥ 25). Women who had sexual IPV had a higher chance of being underweight (AOR = 2.97; 95% CI: 2.02-4.38) than women who had no sexual IPV. While women who had decision-making power at home were at lower odds of being underweight (AOR = 0.83; 95% CI: 0.69-0.98) than their counterparts. The findings also revealed a negative relationship between being overweight/obese and community-level women's decision-making autonomy (AOR = 0.75; 95% CI 0.34-0.89). Conclusions Our findings show the presence of a significant association between IPV & decision-making autonomy with women's nutritional status. Therefore, effective policies and programs to end violence against women and encourage women to participate in decision-making are required. This will help to improve the nutritional status of
Background Increasing the knowledge and attitude toward human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquir... more Background Increasing the knowledge and attitude toward human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a key in the management of the condition. However, in Malawi, there is limited information regarding individual- and community-level factors associated with HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes. This study examined the contextual factors associated with HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes among women of childbearing age (WOCBA) (aged 15–49 years) in Malawi. Methods The 2015–16 Malawi demographic and health survey was used to analyze 24 562 WOCBA who were nested in 850 communities. Mixed effects logistic regression models were fitted to estimate the fixed and random effects of individual- and community-level factors on HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes. Results Approximately 30.9% of the participants had good HIV/AIDS knowledge while 80.5% had good HIV/AIDS attitudes. Among others, at the individual-level, woman’s age, educational level and household wealth were positively associated with both good HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes. At the community-level, those from communities with a high percentage of women complaining about the distance to health facility were less likely to have both good HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes. Conclusions Individual- and community-level factors have been shown to be associated with HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes among WOCBA in Malawi. Additionally, residual heterogeneity in terms of HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes across communities was observed. Therefore, thorough profiling of communities when designing public health programs and strategies may prove beneficial.
Background: Immunization is considered an effective tool for controlling and eliminating life-thr... more Background: Immunization is considered an effective tool for controlling and eliminating life-threatening infectious diseases. However, most studies on immunization have mainly focused on vaccination coverage while data on dropouts and equity gaps is very scanty. Thus, the aim of the present study was to describe the trend in immunization coverage, dropout rates and effective immunization coverages (FVC) among children aged 12-23 months in Malawi. Methods: We conducted secondary analyses of the cross-sectional data taken from three waves of the Demographic and Health Surveys (2004, 2010, and 2015-16). Using the bottleneck analysis, outputs were generated based on service coverage, demand/equity (service utilization) and quality/effective coverage. The World Health Organization benchmarks were used to assess gaps in the immunization coverage indicators. Results: The coverage was above 90.0% in most of the antigens while full immunization status was estimated at 65%, 84%, and 73% in 2004, 2010, and 2015 respectively. The highest coverage was observed in BCG and lowest in Oral Polio Vaccine1 (OPV1). OPV1 coverage was less than 90% in 2004 cohort year, whilst Penta3 and MCV1 coverages were less than 90% in 2004. Additionally, full vaccination coverage (FVC) was 65%, 84%, and 74% in 2004, 2010, and 2015 respectively. Dropout rates of Penta3 and MCV1 were signi cantly higher than 10% in 2004 however, the dropouts had U-shaped patterns. The logistic region analyses showed that children were signi cantly less likely to be immunized with Penta3 and MCV1 in all cohort years compared to Penta1. Conclusions: Though immunization coverage was in line with the national and district targets for various antigens between 2004 and 2015, however, the FVC is still lagging behind. Furthermore, the dropout rates for Penta3 and MCV1 showed U-shaped patterns. Thus, health education, supervision, and orientation of service providers are instantly needed to address disparities that are existing in FVC.
Background: Every year, vaccination averts about 3 million deaths from vaccine-preventable diseas... more Background: Every year, vaccination averts about 3 million deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). However, despite that immunization coverage is increasing globally, many children in developing countries are still dropping out of vaccination. Thus, the present study aimed to identify determinants of vaccination dropouts among children aged 12-23 months in The Gambia. Methods: The study utilized cross-sectional data obtained from the Gambia Demographic and Health Survey 2019-20 (GDHS). The percentage of children aged 12-23 months who dropped out from pentavalent and measles vaccination were calculated by (1) subtracting the third dose of pentavalent vaccine from the first dose of Pentavalent vaccine, and (2) subtracting the first dose of measles vaccine from the first dose Pentavalent vaccine. Generalized Estimating Equation models (GEE) were constructed to examine the risk factors of pentavalent and measles vaccinations dropout. Results: Approximately 7.0% and 4.0% of the 1,302 children aged 12-23 months had dropped out of measles and pentavalent vaccination respectively. The multivariate analyses showed that when caregivers attended fewer than four antenatal care sessions, when children had no health card or whose card was lost, and resided in urban areas increased the odds of pentavalent dropout. On the other hand, when women gave birth in home and other places, when children had no health card, and being an urban areas dweller increased the odds of measles dropout. Conclusion: Tailored public health interventions towards urban residence and health education for all women during ANC are hereby recommended.
Background Cervical cancer stands as one of the most prevalent cancer types among women, despite ... more Background Cervical cancer stands as one of the most prevalent cancer types among women, despite its preventable nature through early screening and vaccination strategies. The link between being overweight or obese and various adverse health outcomes, including an elevated cancer risk, is well established. Within this study, our central objective was to explore the correlation between body mass index (BMI) and cervical cancer screening (CCS) rates. Moreover, we sought to investigate whether socioeconomic status potentially modulates this relationship. Methods Our analysis encompassed 1791 respondents who participated in the World Health Organization’s STEPwise approach to noncommunicable disease risk factor surveillance carried out in Eswatini in 2014. We assessed the connection between BMI, along with other determinants, and CCS through both unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models. Results The uptake of CCS was 14.4% and the prevalence of overweight and obesity was estim...
Background Diabetes is increasingly becoming a public health problem in developing countries like... more Background Diabetes is increasingly becoming a public health problem in developing countries like The Gambia. Prevention of diabetes and appropriate management of the disease largely depends on correct knowledge of the risk factors and signs and symptoms of the condition. However, studies that have assessed knowledge of diabetes at population level are limited. We examined the knowledge of diabetes risk factors, and signs and symptoms among Gambian adults. Methods The 2019–2020 Gambia demographic and health survey data was used to analyze 4, 436 men and 6, 186 women. Knowledge of diabetes was assessed two-fold: (1) diabetes risk factors and (2) diabetes signs and symptoms. Several sociodemographic factors were considered for analysis. A generalized estimating equation model was fitted to test the association between the selected sociodemographic factors and diabetes knowledge. Results Among the men, 7.6% and 3.1% had knowledge about diabetes risk factors, and signs and symptoms, res...
Background Hypertension (HTN), characterized by an elevation of blood pressure, is a serious publ... more Background Hypertension (HTN), characterized by an elevation of blood pressure, is a serious public health chronic condition that significantly raises the risks of heart, brain, kidney, and other diseases. In South Africa, the prevalence of HTN (measured objectively) was reported at 46.0% in females, nonetheless little is known regarding the prevalence and risks factors of self-reported HTN among the same population. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine determinants of self-reported HTN among women in South Africa. Methods The study used data obtained from the 2016 South African Demographic and Health Survey. In total, 6,027 women aged ≥ 20 years were analyzed in this study. Self-reported HTN was defined as a case in which an individual has not been clinically diagnosed with this chronic condition by a medical doctor, nurse, or health worker. Multiple logistic regression models were employed to examine the independent factors of self-reported HTN while considering the com...
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
ABSTRACT. Malaria remains a threat to public health in Malawi. It is well acknowledged that malar... more ABSTRACT. Malaria remains a threat to public health in Malawi. It is well acknowledged that malaria research and robust evidence can have an impact on malaria policy and practice, resulting in positive population health gains. We report policy-relevant research contributions that the Malawi International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research (ICEMR) in partnership with local and international collaborators has made. Findings from our ICEMR studies have shown that long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets (LLINs) impregnated with piperonyl butoxide reduced mosquito blood feeding more compared with conventional LLINs. On the other hand, we showed that few LLINs are maintained up to the end of their 3-year life span, and that older nets are less effective. These results support the policy change decisions by the Malawi National Malaria Control Program to switch from conventional LLINs to piperonyl butoxide LLINs, and to conduct mass LLIN distribution campaigns every 2 years. Our st...
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
ABSTRACT. Despite the scale-up of interventions against malaria over the past decade, this diseas... more ABSTRACT. Despite the scale-up of interventions against malaria over the past decade, this disease remains a leading threat to health in Malawi. To evaluate the epidemiology of both Plasmodium falciparum infection and malaria disease, the Malawi International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research (ICEMR) has developed and implemented diverse and robust surveillance and research projects. Descriptive studies in ICEMR Phase 1 increased our understanding of the declining effectiveness of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), the role of school-age children in malaria parasite transmission, and the complexity of host–parasite interactions leading to disease. These findings informed the design of ICEMR Phase 2 to test hypotheses about LLIN use and effectiveness, vector resistance to insecticides, demographic targets of malaria control, patterns and causes of asymptomatic to life-threatening disease, and the impacts of RTS,S vaccination plus piperonyl butoxide-treated LLINs on infec...
BackgroundIron status is considered as a continuum from an iron deficiency with anaemia, without ... more BackgroundIron status is considered as a continuum from an iron deficiency with anaemia, without anaemia, varying amounts of stored iron to iron overload. The burden ofPlasmodium falciparuminfections is typically high among school-aged children (SAC). Nonetheless, SAC are often less likely to be covered by malaria interventions, making them a group with an untreated reservoir of parasite transmission. This study aimed to assess the effects of asymptomatic and clinical malaria infections on biochemical markers of iron status among SAC in Malawi.MethodsData from the 2015–2016 Malawi Micronutrient Survey (MNS) was used and multivariable logistic regression models using a generalized estimating equation to account for the complex cluster survey design were constructed. Blood samples of 684 children aged 5 to 14 years old were evaluated for clinical and asymptomatic malaria infections. Furthermore, blood samples were used to estimate haemoglobin (Hb), serum ferritin (SF) and, soluble tra...
BackgroundCorrect knowledge about transmission of tuberculosis (TB) can influence better health-s... more BackgroundCorrect knowledge about transmission of tuberculosis (TB) can influence better health-seeking behaviors, and in turn, it can aid TB prevention in society. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the prevalence and predictors of self-reported correct knowledge about TB transmission among adults in Malawi.MethodsWe conducted a secondary analysis of the data obtained from the Malawi Demographic and Health Survey, 2015/16 (MDHS 2015/16). Questions regarding self-reported TB transmission were computed to evaluate the correct knowledge about TB transmission. The factors associated with the correct knowledge about Tb were assessed using univariate and multivariable logistic regression.ResultsOverall, the prevalence of correct knowledge about TB transmission in the general population of Malawian adults was 61.5%. Specifically, the prevalence of correct knowledge about TB transmission was 63.6 and 60.8% in men and women, respectively. Those aged 35–44 years, having secondary or high...
Background Every year, vaccination averts about 3 million deaths from vaccine-preventable disease... more Background Every year, vaccination averts about 3 million deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). However, despite that immunization coverage is increasing globally, many children in developing countries are still dropping out of vaccination. Thus, the present study aimed to identify determinants of vaccination dropouts among children aged 12–23 months in The Gambia. Methods The study utilized cross-sectional data obtained from the Gambia Demographic and Health Survey 2019–20 (GDHS). The percentage of children aged 12–23 months who dropped out from pentavalent and measles vaccination were calculated by (1) subtracting the third dose of pentavalent vaccine from the first dose of Pentavalent vaccine, and (2) subtracting the first dose of measles vaccine from the first dose Pentavalent vaccine. Generalized Estimating Equation models (GEE) were constructed to examine the risk factors of pentavalent and measles vaccinations dropout. Results Approximately 7.0% and 4.0% of the 1,3...
VIF and Tolerance for the four selected Southern African countries. Table S1 shows the multicolli... more VIF and Tolerance for the four selected Southern African countries. Table S1 shows the multicollinearity using VIF and Tolerance for the four selected Southern African countries. (DOC 72 kb)
Background A growing body of research has established a link between intimate partner violence (I... more Background A growing body of research has established a link between intimate partner violence (IPV) and decision-making autonomy on women's mental, physical, and reproductive health consequences, as well as child nutritional status. However, there is a scarcity of research on the effects of IPV and decision-making autonomy on women's nutritional status. To date, no research has been conducted in Ethiopia to investigate the impact of IPV and decision-making autonomy on women's nutritional status. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between IPV and decision-making power at both the individual and community levels on women's nutritional status. Methods We analyzed data from the 2016 Ethiopian demographic and health survey. Our study focused on 3,660 married non-pregnant women of reproductive age. We used the chi-squared test and spearman correlation coefficients for bivariate analysis. The relationship between IPV and decision making power with nutritional status was evaluated using multilevel binary logistic regression models while controlling other determinants. Results Around 28% of women reported at least one of the four types of IPV. Approximately 32% of women had no decision-making power at home. About 27.1% of women were underweight (BMI < 18.5), while 10.6% were overweight/obese (BMI ≥ 25). Women who had sexual IPV had a higher chance of being underweight (AOR = 2.97; 95% CI: 2.02-4.38) than women who had no sexual IPV. While women who had decision-making power at home were at lower odds of being underweight (AOR = 0.83; 95% CI: 0.69-0.98) than their counterparts. The findings also revealed a negative relationship between being overweight/obese and community-level women's decision-making autonomy (AOR = 0.75; 95% CI 0.34-0.89). Conclusions Our findings show the presence of a significant association between IPV & decision-making autonomy with women's nutritional status. Therefore, effective policies and programs to end violence against women and encourage women to participate in decision-making are required. This will help to improve the nutritional status of
Background Increasing the knowledge and attitude toward human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquir... more Background Increasing the knowledge and attitude toward human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a key in the management of the condition. However, in Malawi, there is limited information regarding individual- and community-level factors associated with HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes. This study examined the contextual factors associated with HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes among women of childbearing age (WOCBA) (aged 15–49 years) in Malawi. Methods The 2015–16 Malawi demographic and health survey was used to analyze 24 562 WOCBA who were nested in 850 communities. Mixed effects logistic regression models were fitted to estimate the fixed and random effects of individual- and community-level factors on HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes. Results Approximately 30.9% of the participants had good HIV/AIDS knowledge while 80.5% had good HIV/AIDS attitudes. Among others, at the individual-level, woman’s age, educational level and household wealth were positively associated with both good HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes. At the community-level, those from communities with a high percentage of women complaining about the distance to health facility were less likely to have both good HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes. Conclusions Individual- and community-level factors have been shown to be associated with HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes among WOCBA in Malawi. Additionally, residual heterogeneity in terms of HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes across communities was observed. Therefore, thorough profiling of communities when designing public health programs and strategies may prove beneficial.
Background: Immunization is considered an effective tool for controlling and eliminating life-thr... more Background: Immunization is considered an effective tool for controlling and eliminating life-threatening infectious diseases. However, most studies on immunization have mainly focused on vaccination coverage while data on dropouts and equity gaps is very scanty. Thus, the aim of the present study was to describe the trend in immunization coverage, dropout rates and effective immunization coverages (FVC) among children aged 12-23 months in Malawi. Methods: We conducted secondary analyses of the cross-sectional data taken from three waves of the Demographic and Health Surveys (2004, 2010, and 2015-16). Using the bottleneck analysis, outputs were generated based on service coverage, demand/equity (service utilization) and quality/effective coverage. The World Health Organization benchmarks were used to assess gaps in the immunization coverage indicators. Results: The coverage was above 90.0% in most of the antigens while full immunization status was estimated at 65%, 84%, and 73% in 2004, 2010, and 2015 respectively. The highest coverage was observed in BCG and lowest in Oral Polio Vaccine1 (OPV1). OPV1 coverage was less than 90% in 2004 cohort year, whilst Penta3 and MCV1 coverages were less than 90% in 2004. Additionally, full vaccination coverage (FVC) was 65%, 84%, and 74% in 2004, 2010, and 2015 respectively. Dropout rates of Penta3 and MCV1 were signi cantly higher than 10% in 2004 however, the dropouts had U-shaped patterns. The logistic region analyses showed that children were signi cantly less likely to be immunized with Penta3 and MCV1 in all cohort years compared to Penta1. Conclusions: Though immunization coverage was in line with the national and district targets for various antigens between 2004 and 2015, however, the FVC is still lagging behind. Furthermore, the dropout rates for Penta3 and MCV1 showed U-shaped patterns. Thus, health education, supervision, and orientation of service providers are instantly needed to address disparities that are existing in FVC.
Background: Every year, vaccination averts about 3 million deaths from vaccine-preventable diseas... more Background: Every year, vaccination averts about 3 million deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). However, despite that immunization coverage is increasing globally, many children in developing countries are still dropping out of vaccination. Thus, the present study aimed to identify determinants of vaccination dropouts among children aged 12-23 months in The Gambia. Methods: The study utilized cross-sectional data obtained from the Gambia Demographic and Health Survey 2019-20 (GDHS). The percentage of children aged 12-23 months who dropped out from pentavalent and measles vaccination were calculated by (1) subtracting the third dose of pentavalent vaccine from the first dose of Pentavalent vaccine, and (2) subtracting the first dose of measles vaccine from the first dose Pentavalent vaccine. Generalized Estimating Equation models (GEE) were constructed to examine the risk factors of pentavalent and measles vaccinations dropout. Results: Approximately 7.0% and 4.0% of the 1,302 children aged 12-23 months had dropped out of measles and pentavalent vaccination respectively. The multivariate analyses showed that when caregivers attended fewer than four antenatal care sessions, when children had no health card or whose card was lost, and resided in urban areas increased the odds of pentavalent dropout. On the other hand, when women gave birth in home and other places, when children had no health card, and being an urban areas dweller increased the odds of measles dropout. Conclusion: Tailored public health interventions towards urban residence and health education for all women during ANC are hereby recommended.
Background Cervical cancer stands as one of the most prevalent cancer types among women, despite ... more Background Cervical cancer stands as one of the most prevalent cancer types among women, despite its preventable nature through early screening and vaccination strategies. The link between being overweight or obese and various adverse health outcomes, including an elevated cancer risk, is well established. Within this study, our central objective was to explore the correlation between body mass index (BMI) and cervical cancer screening (CCS) rates. Moreover, we sought to investigate whether socioeconomic status potentially modulates this relationship. Methods Our analysis encompassed 1791 respondents who participated in the World Health Organization’s STEPwise approach to noncommunicable disease risk factor surveillance carried out in Eswatini in 2014. We assessed the connection between BMI, along with other determinants, and CCS through both unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models. Results The uptake of CCS was 14.4% and the prevalence of overweight and obesity was estim...
Background Diabetes is increasingly becoming a public health problem in developing countries like... more Background Diabetes is increasingly becoming a public health problem in developing countries like The Gambia. Prevention of diabetes and appropriate management of the disease largely depends on correct knowledge of the risk factors and signs and symptoms of the condition. However, studies that have assessed knowledge of diabetes at population level are limited. We examined the knowledge of diabetes risk factors, and signs and symptoms among Gambian adults. Methods The 2019–2020 Gambia demographic and health survey data was used to analyze 4, 436 men and 6, 186 women. Knowledge of diabetes was assessed two-fold: (1) diabetes risk factors and (2) diabetes signs and symptoms. Several sociodemographic factors were considered for analysis. A generalized estimating equation model was fitted to test the association between the selected sociodemographic factors and diabetes knowledge. Results Among the men, 7.6% and 3.1% had knowledge about diabetes risk factors, and signs and symptoms, res...
Background Hypertension (HTN), characterized by an elevation of blood pressure, is a serious publ... more Background Hypertension (HTN), characterized by an elevation of blood pressure, is a serious public health chronic condition that significantly raises the risks of heart, brain, kidney, and other diseases. In South Africa, the prevalence of HTN (measured objectively) was reported at 46.0% in females, nonetheless little is known regarding the prevalence and risks factors of self-reported HTN among the same population. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine determinants of self-reported HTN among women in South Africa. Methods The study used data obtained from the 2016 South African Demographic and Health Survey. In total, 6,027 women aged ≥ 20 years were analyzed in this study. Self-reported HTN was defined as a case in which an individual has not been clinically diagnosed with this chronic condition by a medical doctor, nurse, or health worker. Multiple logistic regression models were employed to examine the independent factors of self-reported HTN while considering the com...
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
ABSTRACT. Malaria remains a threat to public health in Malawi. It is well acknowledged that malar... more ABSTRACT. Malaria remains a threat to public health in Malawi. It is well acknowledged that malaria research and robust evidence can have an impact on malaria policy and practice, resulting in positive population health gains. We report policy-relevant research contributions that the Malawi International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research (ICEMR) in partnership with local and international collaborators has made. Findings from our ICEMR studies have shown that long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets (LLINs) impregnated with piperonyl butoxide reduced mosquito blood feeding more compared with conventional LLINs. On the other hand, we showed that few LLINs are maintained up to the end of their 3-year life span, and that older nets are less effective. These results support the policy change decisions by the Malawi National Malaria Control Program to switch from conventional LLINs to piperonyl butoxide LLINs, and to conduct mass LLIN distribution campaigns every 2 years. Our st...
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
ABSTRACT. Despite the scale-up of interventions against malaria over the past decade, this diseas... more ABSTRACT. Despite the scale-up of interventions against malaria over the past decade, this disease remains a leading threat to health in Malawi. To evaluate the epidemiology of both Plasmodium falciparum infection and malaria disease, the Malawi International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research (ICEMR) has developed and implemented diverse and robust surveillance and research projects. Descriptive studies in ICEMR Phase 1 increased our understanding of the declining effectiveness of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), the role of school-age children in malaria parasite transmission, and the complexity of host–parasite interactions leading to disease. These findings informed the design of ICEMR Phase 2 to test hypotheses about LLIN use and effectiveness, vector resistance to insecticides, demographic targets of malaria control, patterns and causes of asymptomatic to life-threatening disease, and the impacts of RTS,S vaccination plus piperonyl butoxide-treated LLINs on infec...
BackgroundIron status is considered as a continuum from an iron deficiency with anaemia, without ... more BackgroundIron status is considered as a continuum from an iron deficiency with anaemia, without anaemia, varying amounts of stored iron to iron overload. The burden ofPlasmodium falciparuminfections is typically high among school-aged children (SAC). Nonetheless, SAC are often less likely to be covered by malaria interventions, making them a group with an untreated reservoir of parasite transmission. This study aimed to assess the effects of asymptomatic and clinical malaria infections on biochemical markers of iron status among SAC in Malawi.MethodsData from the 2015–2016 Malawi Micronutrient Survey (MNS) was used and multivariable logistic regression models using a generalized estimating equation to account for the complex cluster survey design were constructed. Blood samples of 684 children aged 5 to 14 years old were evaluated for clinical and asymptomatic malaria infections. Furthermore, blood samples were used to estimate haemoglobin (Hb), serum ferritin (SF) and, soluble tra...
BackgroundCorrect knowledge about transmission of tuberculosis (TB) can influence better health-s... more BackgroundCorrect knowledge about transmission of tuberculosis (TB) can influence better health-seeking behaviors, and in turn, it can aid TB prevention in society. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the prevalence and predictors of self-reported correct knowledge about TB transmission among adults in Malawi.MethodsWe conducted a secondary analysis of the data obtained from the Malawi Demographic and Health Survey, 2015/16 (MDHS 2015/16). Questions regarding self-reported TB transmission were computed to evaluate the correct knowledge about TB transmission. The factors associated with the correct knowledge about Tb were assessed using univariate and multivariable logistic regression.ResultsOverall, the prevalence of correct knowledge about TB transmission in the general population of Malawian adults was 61.5%. Specifically, the prevalence of correct knowledge about TB transmission was 63.6 and 60.8% in men and women, respectively. Those aged 35–44 years, having secondary or high...
Background Every year, vaccination averts about 3 million deaths from vaccine-preventable disease... more Background Every year, vaccination averts about 3 million deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). However, despite that immunization coverage is increasing globally, many children in developing countries are still dropping out of vaccination. Thus, the present study aimed to identify determinants of vaccination dropouts among children aged 12–23 months in The Gambia. Methods The study utilized cross-sectional data obtained from the Gambia Demographic and Health Survey 2019–20 (GDHS). The percentage of children aged 12–23 months who dropped out from pentavalent and measles vaccination were calculated by (1) subtracting the third dose of pentavalent vaccine from the first dose of Pentavalent vaccine, and (2) subtracting the first dose of measles vaccine from the first dose Pentavalent vaccine. Generalized Estimating Equation models (GEE) were constructed to examine the risk factors of pentavalent and measles vaccinations dropout. Results Approximately 7.0% and 4.0% of the 1,3...
VIF and Tolerance for the four selected Southern African countries. Table S1 shows the multicolli... more VIF and Tolerance for the four selected Southern African countries. Table S1 shows the multicollinearity using VIF and Tolerance for the four selected Southern African countries. (DOC 72 kb)
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Papers by Peter Ntenda