Access to psychosocial support for church-going young people recovering from drug and substance abuse in Zimbabwe: a qualitative study.

Background: The church and other religious-affiliated organizations have promising yet underexplored potential to provide social support services for young people recovering from substance abuse in communities where drug and substance rehabilitation services are limited. This study aimed to establish the barriers and facilitators of accessing psychosocial support, the role of the church, and strategies to promote access to psychosocial support for youths recovering from drug and substance abuse.

Methods: This was a qualitative cross-sectional study, and semi-structured interviews of 18 church-going youths and three youth pastors were conducted in eastern Zimbabwe.

Assessment of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Zimbabweans: A rapid national survey.

Background: As a way of minimising the devastating effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, scientists hastily developed a vaccine. However, the scale-up of the vaccine is likely to be hindered by the widespread social media misinformation. We therefore conducted a study to assess the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Zimbabweans.

Implementation of a campus-based and peer-delivered HIV self-testing intervention to improve the uptake of HIV testing services among university students in Zimbabwe: the SAYS initiative.

Background: The uptake of HIV testing services among adolescents and young adults in Zimbabwe is low due to stigma associated with the risk of mental and social harm. The WHO recommends HIV self-testing (HIVST) as an innovative approach to improve access to HIV testing for this hard-to-reach populations. This study describes the development and implementation of a coordinated multifaceted and multidisciplinary campus-based approach to improve the uptake of HIV testing among university students in Zimbabwe.

The Nexus Between Adherence to Recommended Lifestyle Behaviors and Blood Pressure Control in Hypertensive Patients at Mutare Provincial Hospital, Zimbabwe: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: To determine the association between the achievement of blood pressure (BP) control and adherence to recommended lifestyle behaviors among hypertensive patients seen at Mutare Provincial Hospital, Zimbabwe.

Patients And Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using BP readings from three consecutive months. A structured interviewer-administered and pretested questionnaire with components derived from the World Health Organization Stepwise Survey was employed to extract information from 350 purposively selected participants.

"It might be a statistic to me, but every death matters.": An assessment of facility-level maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response systems in four sub-Saharan African countries.

Background: Maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response (MPDSR) systems aim to understand and address key contributors to maternal and perinatal deaths to prevent future deaths. From 2016-2017, the US Agency for International Development's Maternal and Child Survival Program conducted an assessment of MPDSR implementation in Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.

Methods: A cross-sectional, mixed-methods research design was used to assess MPDSR implementation.

Trends in Prevalence and Related Risk Factors of Overweight and Obesity among Women of Reproductive Age in Zimbabwe, 2005-2015.

: The prevalence of non-communicable diseases is rising in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as Zimbabwe, yet, the risk factors associated with overweight and obesity among women in the country have not been explored. This study investigated the trends in prevalence and demographic, socioeconomic and behavioral risk factors of overweight and obesity among Zimbabwean women of reproductive age (15-49 years) from 2005-2015. : Data from the 2005/2006, 2010/2011 and 2015 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS) were analyzed.

Determinants of exclusive breastfeeding among mothers of infants aged 6 to 12 months in Gwanda District, Zimbabwe.

Background: In 2016, 98% of children in Zimbabwe received breastmilk, however only 40% of babies under six months were exclusively breastfed 24 h prior to data collection. A 2014 survey revealed that Matabeleland South Province had the country's highest starvation rates and food insecurities were rife. This study aimed at investigating maternal, infant, household, environmental and cultural factors influencing exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) practice in Gwanda District.

Predictors of early initiation of breastfeeding among Zimbabwean women: secondary analysis of ZDHS 2015.

Background: The World Health Organization recommends initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour of delivery. Early initiation is beneficial for both mother and baby. Previous Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Surveys (ZDHS) have shown reduction in early initiation of breast feeding from 68% (2005/06) to 58% (2015).

Cluster randomized trial on the effect of mother support groups on retention-in-care and PMTCT outcomes in Zimbabwe: study design, challenges, and national relevance.

Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) elimination goals are hampered by low rates of retention and antiretroviral treatment adherence. The Eliminating Pediatric AIDS in Zimbabwe (EPAZ) project is assessing whether mother support groups (MSGs) increase rates of retention-in-care of HIV-positive mothers and their exposed infants, increase male participation, and improve other maternal and infant health outcomes. EPAZ is a cluster randomized study involving 30 rural facilities in 2 health districts in Mutare province in eastern Zimbabwe.

Drug adherence behavior among hypertensive out-patients at a tertiary health institution in Manicaland province, Zimbabwe, 2011.

Objectives: This study investigated the level of drug adherence among hypertensive outpatients at a tertiary hospital in Zimbabwe. Specific objectives included measurement of blood pressure (BP) control achievement, estimating prevalence of drug adherence behavior, and establishing the association between drug adherence behavior and achievement of BP control.

Methods And Materials: An analytic cross sectional design was applied on a convenience sample of 102 participants using an interviewer administered questionnaire.