Publications by authors named "David Owiredu"

Article Synopsis
  • In sub-Saharan Africa, pregnant and postpartum women with mental health issues often go unrecognized in healthcare, highlighting the need for a simple screening tool to aid primary healthcare workers.
  • A comprehensive review of existing mental health screening tools revealed that the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) were commonly used, with 62% of studies focusing on depression during pregnancy or postpartum.
  • EPDS showed promising results with an average sensitivity of 75.5% and specificity of 76.5%, indicating it is a practical and effective choice for screening maternal mental health.
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Article Synopsis
  • Limited data on mental health issues among pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa hampers the development of effective interventions.
  • This systematic review will gather and analyze various studies to assess the mental health burden and its determinants in this specific population across SSA.
  • The research will involve comprehensive database searches, independent study selections and data extraction by reviewers, and assessment of bias in studies to ensure accurate results.
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Article Synopsis
  • Obstetric fistulas are abnormal connections between the vagina and urinary or rectal systems, often caused by injuries during childbirth, leading to issues like incontinence, especially in sub-Saharan Africa as hospital deliveries and cesarean sections rise.
  • There is a lack of data specifically regarding surgery-related (iatrogenic) obstetric fistulas, prompting the need for a review to gather evidence on their prevalence, along with factors influencing their occurrence.
  • The review will involve comprehensive searches of multiple databases from 2000 to 2024, thorough study selection and data extraction processes, and statistical analysis of the findings to understand the impact of surgical procedures on the development of these fistulas.
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Background: Hundreds of millions of doses of Praziquantel (PZQ) have been administered to persons with and without schistosomiasis living in schistosomiasis endemic settings, through the mass drug administration (MDA) strategy which started in the early 2000s. A recent publication suggested high risk of PZQ-related visual disorders, raising public health concerns. We aim to systematically synthesize evidence on the magnitude of PZQ-related visual disorders.

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Existing studies investigating 30-day in-hospital stroke case fatality rates in sub-Saharan Africa have produced varying results, underscoring the significance of obtaining precise and reliable estimations for this indicator. Consequently, this study aimed to conduct a systematic review and update of the current scientific evidence regarding 30-day in-hospital stroke case fatality and associated risk factors in sub-Saharan Africa. Medline/PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), APA PsycNet (encompassing PsycINFO and PsychArticle), Google Scholar, and Africa Journal Online (AJOL) were systematically searched to identify potentially relevant articles.

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Introduction: The RTS,S vaccine has been approved for use in children under 5 living in moderate to high malaria transmission areas. However, clinically important adverse events have been reported in countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This systematic review aims to assess the frequency, severity and clinical importance of vaccine-related adverse events.

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Background: The number of elderly people living with HIV (EPLHIV) has increased significantly as a result of antiretroviral treatment (ART) and this has brought about a variety of psychosocial challenges that have an impact on their quality of life (QoL). Various psychosocial interventions have been tried or implemented in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to improve QoL of EPLHIV. However, there is paucity of data on the types and effectiveness of these interventions.

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Introduction: Pregnancy and postpartum-related mental health problems pose serious public health threat to the society, but worryingly, neglected in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This review will assess the burden and distribution of maternal mental health (MMH) problems in SSA, with the aim to inform the implementation of context sensitive interventions and policies.

Methods And Analysis: All relevant databases, grey literature and non-database sources will be searched.

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The Africa sub-region currently lacks quantitative normative data to illustrate the extent of burden and gender inequities of physical activity level in order to inform policy and education, towards meeting the WHO's 2030 physical activity milestone. The study aimed to provide insights on the current prevalence of sufficient physical activity and gender disparity, using a nationally representative data from the Global School-based student Health Survey (GSHS) from 23 African countries. The study used the multi-country GSHS data from 23 African countries (2003-2017).

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