Polygyny and intimate partner violence among married women: Sub-national estimates from a cross-sectional study in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global issue with several social and health consequences. Global estimates indicate that one-third of women have experienced lifetime IPV. In 2013, sub-Saharan Africa recorded the highest rates of IPV.

Adolescents' dietary patterns, their drivers and association with double burden of malnutrition in adolescents: a cross-sectional study in Kenya's urban slums.

Background: The double burden of malnutrition (DBM) during adolescence is associated with growth and developmental impairment and risk of non-communicable diseases. There is limited evidence on adolescent's dietary patterns (DPs), and how they contribute to DBM in urban low income contexts in sub Saharan Africa. This study assessed DPs of adolescents, their drivers and association with DBM in Kenya's urban slums.

Men's education and intimate partner violence-Beyond the victim-oriented perspective: Evidence from demographic and health surveys in Central Africa.

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) has increasingly received attention in the last three decades. However, IPV-related studies in both high- and low- and middle-income countries adopted a victim-oriented perspective in which men are perpetrators and women, the victims. Using socio-cultural and resource theories as guiding frameworks, this paper assessed the associations between men's education and IPV in Central Africa, using nationally representative data of married and cohabiting women of reproductive ages.

Effects of social determinants of health on obesity among urban women of reproductive age.

Obesity is a major global public health problem. It is spreading very fast in low- and middle-income countries and has reached world record levels in some of them. In Ghana, it has increased by over 65% among urban women in the past three decades.

Basic determinants of child linear growth outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa: a cross-sectional survey analysis of positive deviants in poor households.

Childhood malnutrition is a significant public health problem confronting countries across the globe. Although there is evidence of a downward trend in undernutrition globally, sub-Saharan Africa did not experience significant improvement in the past decades. This study investigated the basic determinants of linear growth among children living in poor households.

Differential effects of socio-demographic factors on maternal haemoglobin concentration in three sub-Saharan African Countries.

Low Haemoglobin concentration (Hb) among women of reproductive age is a severe public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigated the effects of putative socio-demographic factors on maternal Hb at different points of the conditional distribution of Hb concentration. We utilised quantile regression to analyse the Demographic and Health Surveys data from Ghana, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Mozambique.

Benchmarking food environment policies for the prevention of diet-related non-communicable diseases in Kenya: National expert panel's assessment and priority recommendations.

Introduction: Unhealthy food environments drive the increase of diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Objective: We aimed to examine healthy food environment policies in Kenya and identify priorities for future action.

Methods: Using the Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI) we collected evidence on the extent of government action to create healthy food environments across 13 policy and infrastructure support domains and 43 related good practice indicators between 2017 and 2018.

Determinants of normal haemoglobin concentration among children in Ghana: a positive deviance analysis of nationally representative cross-sectional survey data.

Anaemia among children under 5, is a public health problem of serious concern. In Ghana, an estimated 8 out of every 10 children are anaemic. This study employed a novel approach to investigate the determinants of normal haemoglobin (Hb) concentration among children aged 6 to 59 months, using data from the Ghana Demographic and Health Surveys.

Socio-demographic factors associated with normal linear growth among pre-school children living in better-off households: A multi-country analysis of nationally representative data.

This study examined the socio-demographic factors associated with normal linear growth among pre-school children living in better-off households, using survey data from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Mozambique and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The primary outcome variable was child height-for-age z-scores (HAZ), categorised into HAZ≥-2SD (normal growth/not stunted) and HAZ<-2 (stunted). Using logistic regression, we estimated adjusted odds ratios (aORs) of the factors associated with normal growth.

Correlates of the double burden of malnutrition among women: an analysis of cross sectional survey data from sub-Saharan Africa.

Objective: To investigate the correlates of the double burden of malnutrition (DBM) among women in five sub-Saharan African countries.

Design: Secondary analysis of Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). The outcome variable was body mass index (BMI), a measure of DBM.

Nutrition transition, overweight and obesity among rural-to-urban migrant women in Kenya.

Objective: To assess the effect of rural-to-urban migration on nutrition transition and overweight/obesity risk among women in Kenya.

Design: Secondary analysis of data from nationally representative cross-sectional samples. Outcome variables were women's BMI and nutrition transition.

Levels and determinants of perceived health risk from solid wastes among communities living near to dumpsites in Kenya.

Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa have poor solid waste management systems, putting people living near dumpsites at higher risk of disease infections. Good risk perception could enhance individual- and community-level protection and prevention efforts. The objective of this study was to examine the levels and determinants of perceived health risk associated with exposure to solid waste dumpsites in Kenya.

Quantile regression analysis of modifiable and non-modifiable drivers' of blood pressure among urban and rural women in Ghana.

High blood pressure is an increasingly problematic public health concern in many developing countries due to the associated cardiovascular and renal complications. This study set out to investigate the drivers of blood pressure among urban and rural women using the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey data. Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) were the outcomes of interest.

WOMEN'S EDUCATION AND UTILIZATION OF MATERNAL HEALTH SERVICES IN AFRICA: A MULTI-COUNTRY AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS ANALYSIS.

There is an abundant literature on the relationship between women's education and maternal and child outcomes, including antenatal and postnatal care, onset of antenatal care and skilled birth attendance. However, few studies have adopted the 'equity' lens, despite increasing evidence that inequities between rich and poor are increasing although maternal and child mortality is declining. This study examined the differential effects of women's education within different socioeconomic strata in Africa.

Prevalence and time trends in overweight and obesity among urban women: an analysis of demographic and health surveys data from 24 African countries, 19912014.

Objective: To examine the prevalence and trends in overweight and obesity among non-pregnant urban women in Africa over the past two and a half decades.

Design: Cross-sectional surveys conducted between 1991 and 2014.

Settings: Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), repeated cross-sectional data collected in 24 African countries.

Differential effects of dietary diversity and maternal characteristics on linear growth of children aged 6-59 months in sub-Saharan Africa: a multi-country analysis.

Objective: To investigate the differential effects of dietary diversity (DD) and maternal characteristics on child linear growth at different points of the conditional distribution of height-for-age Z-score (HAZ) in sub-Saharan Africa.

Design: Secondary analysis of data from nationally representative cross-sectional samples of singleton children aged 0-59 months, born to mothers aged 15-49 years. The outcome variable was child HAZ.

Dietary diversity, socioeconomic status and maternal body mass index (BMI): quantile regression analysis of nationally representative data from Ghana, Namibia and Sao Tome and Principe.

Objectives: To (a) assess the association between dietary diversity (DD) score, socioeconomic status (SES) and maternal body mass index (BMI), and (b) the variation of the effects of DD and SES at different points of the conditional distribution of the BMI.

Methods: The study used Demographic and Health Surveys round 5 data sets from Ghana, Namibia and Sao Tome and Principe. The outcome variable for the analysis was maternal BMI.

Women's participation in household decision-making and higher dietary diversity: findings from nationally representative data from Ghana.

Background: Low-quality monotonous diet is a major problem confronting resource-constrained settings across the world. Starchy staple foods dominate the diets in these settings. This places the population, especially women of reproductive age, at a risk of micronutrients deficiencies.

Socio-demographic and environmental determinants of infectious disease morbidity in children under 5 years in Ghana.

Background: Globally, diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections (ARIs) have been identified as major threats to child survival. In Ghana, the two conditions are among the top three causes of morbidity and mortality among children under 5 years. An in-depth analysis of the factors associated with these two diseases is warranted, because of their high degree of fatality and also it provides a basis for intervention planning.

Association between Maternal and Child Dietary Diversity: An Analysis of the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey.

Objective (s): This study examined the association between maternal and child dietary diversity in a population-based national sample in Ghana.

Methods: The data for this analysis are from the 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey. We used data obtained from 1187 dyads comprised of mothers' ages 15-49 and their youngest child (ages 6-36 months).

Influence of childcare practices on nutritional status of Ghanaian children: a regression analysis of the Ghana Demographic and Health Surveys.

Objectives: Guided by the UNICEF framework for childcare, this study examined the association of childcare practices (CCP) with infant and young children's growth (height-for-age Z-scores, HAZ), and investigated whether care practices are more important to growth in some sociodemographic subgroups of children.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Urban and rural Ghana.