Objectives: Six million children were under-vaccinated in 2022. Our study aimed to 1) quantify the magnitude of under-vaccination variation between health facilities, 2) assess to which extent individual and health center level factors contributed to the variation, 3) identify individual and health facility factors associated with under-vaccination, and 4), explore rural vs. urban health facility variations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Although shisha smoking is banned in Senegal, it has become increasingly popular, especially among youth. Despite the health risks associated with shisha smoking, there are few studies on shisha smoking in West Africa and none in Senegal. Our study assessed the prevalence and factors associated with shisha smoking among students aged 13-15 years in Senegal.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Identifying actionable targets is crucial to improve overall and equity in vaccination coverage, and in line with the global Immunization Agenda 2030. Therefore, this study seeks to assess the prevalence of missed opportunities for simultaneous vaccination (MOSVs) and their impact on vaccination coverage and urban-rural inequity in The Gambia.
Methods: We used data of children aged 12-23 months from The Gambia 2019/2020 demographic and health survey (weighted n = 1355) with seen vaccination cards.
Introduction: Access to tobacco plays a strong role in smoking initiation among youth. This study aimed to quantify successful purchase of cigarettes and assess the factors associated with cigarette purchase access among students aged 11-17 years in The Gambia.
Methods: We used the 2017 Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) of 12585 students, aged 11-17 years from The Gambia.
Introduction: The Hepatitis B virus that can cause liver cancer is highly prevalent in the Gambia, with one in ten babies at risk of infection from their mothers. Timely hepatitis B birth dose administration to protect babies is very low in The Gambia. Our study assessed whether 1) a timeliness monitoring intervention resulted in hepatitis B birth dose timeliness improvements overall, and 2) the intervention impacted differentially among health facilities with different pre-intervention performances.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLancet HIV
March 2023
Background: Few assessments of associations between structural-level factors and HIV among gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) have been conducted, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Our objective was to examine HIV testing history, HIV status, and stigmas among MSM living in ten countries with heterogeneous legal environments.
Methods: This study used pooled data from ten country-specific, cross-sectional studies done in 25 sites in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Senegal, Eswatini, Rwanda, and Togo.
Objectives: To investigate the relationship between cigarette prices and smoking experimentation among children in the Gambia, and thereby expanding the evidence base of the likely impact of excise taxes on cigarette demand in low-income and middle-income countries.
Design: A survival analysis using the Gambia 2017 Global Youth Tobacco Survey data.
Setting: The Gambia.
Objective: To assess whether the implementation of a results-based financing (RBF) project in The Gambia resulted in (1) improved national vaccination coverage (2) higher coverage in intervention than non-intervention areas, and (3) improvement in rural-urban coverage inequality.
Methods: The study used a difference-in-differences design, based on repeated cross-sectional data from The Gambian Demographic and Health Surveys 2013 (N = 1650) and 2020 (N = 1456). Full vaccination (receipt of one BCG, 3 OPV, 3 DTP, and 1 measles-containing vaccine doses) and rural-urban vaccination inequality were our outcome variables.
Introduction: Second-hand smoke is associated with more than 1.2 million deaths per year among non-smokers. Smoking in public places is prohibited in The Gambia but there is no information on the level of exposure to second-hand smoke among adolescents and adults 15-64 years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNon-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality globally. Co-occurrence of risk factors predisposes an individual to NCDs; the burden increases cumulatively with the number of risk factors. Our study aimed to examine the co-occurrence of NCD risk factors among adults in The Gambia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Non-communicable diseases account for 70% of global deaths; 80% occur in low-income and middle-income countries. The rapid increase of obesity in sub-Saharan Africa is a concern. We assessed generalised and abdominal obesity and their associated risk factors among adults in The Gambia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlobally HIV incidence is slowing, however HIV epidemics among sex workers are stable or increasing in many settings. While laws governing sex work are considered structural determinants of HIV, individual-level data assessing this relationship are limited. In this study, individual-level data are used to assess the relationships of sex work laws and stigmas in increasing HIV risk among female sex workers, and examine the mechanisms by which stigma affects HIV across diverse legal contexts in countries across sub-Saharan Africa.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
November 2019
Background: Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the world, with a higher burden in low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this study was to quantify the prevalence and predictors of smoking among Gambian men using nationally representative data.
Methods: Data was collected in 2010 from a random, nationally representative sample of 4111 adults aged 25-64 years (78% response rate) using the World Health Organization (WHO) STEPwise cross-sectional survey methods.
Background: Non-communicable diseases are increasing in sub-Saharan Africa and are estimated to account for 32% of adult deaths in The Gambia. Worldwide, prevalence of hypertension is highest in the African region (46%) and a very high proportion is undiagnosed. This study examined diagnosed and undiagnosed hypertension in The Gambian adult population.
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