Uptake of community health care provision by community health entrepreneurs for febrile illness and diarrhoea: a cross-sectional survey in rural communities in Bunyangabu district, Uganda.

Objective: To assess the uptake of services provided by community health workers who were trained as community health entrepreneurs (CHEs) for febrile illness and diarrhoea.

Design: A cross-sectional survey among households combined with mapping of all providers of basic medicine and primary health services in the study area.

Participants: 1265 randomly selected households in 15 rural villages with active CHEs.

Solutions to Enhance Health with Alternative Treatments (SEHAT) protocol: a double-blinded randomised controlled trial for gut microbiota-targeted treatment of severe acute malnutrition using rice bran in ready-to-use therapeutic foods in Indonesia.

Introduction: Current formulations of ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs) to treat severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in children focus on nutrient density and quantity. Less attention is given to foods targeting gut microbiota metabolism and mucosal barrier functions. Heat-stabilised rice bran contains essential nutrients, prebiotics, vitamins and unique phytochemicals that have demonstrated favourable bioactivity to modulate gut microbiota composition and mucosal immunity.

Association of both Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices with childhood malnutrition in Lao PDR: a cross-sectional study of the 2017 Lao Social Indicator Survey II.

Objective: We assessed whether Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF), either alone or combined, were associated with malnutrition among Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) children aged 6 to <24 months.

Design: This is a secondary analysis of the 2017 Lao Social Indicator Survey II (LSIS II), which used multistage probability proportional to size sampling. Logistic regression analyses were conducted with OR and its corresponding 95% CI.

Using telehealth to support community health workers in Uganda during COVID-19: a mixed-method study.

Background: At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a local consortium in Uganda set up a telehealth approach that aimed to educate 3,500 Community Health Workers (CHW) in rural areas about COVID-19, help them identify, refer and care for potential COVID-19 cases, and support them in continuing their regular community health work. The aim of this study was to assess the functioning of the telehealth approach that was set up to support CHWs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: For this mixed-method study, we combined analysis of routine consultation data from the call-center, 24 interviews with key-informants and two surveys of 150 CHWs.

Worldwide Vaccination Willingness for COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Countries across the globe are currently experiencing a third or fourth wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections; therefore, the need for effective vaccination campaigns is higher than ever. However, effectiveness of these campaigns in disease reduction is highly dependent on vaccination uptake and coverage in susceptible populations. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis estimated the vaccination intention and identified determinants of willingness and hesitancy.

Nutrient density, but not cost of diet, is associated with anemia and iron deficiency in school-age children in South Africa.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the relationship of nutrient density and diet cost with anemia and iron deficiency (ID) in children.

Methods: Dietary intake data of 5- to 12-y-old children (n = 578) from three independent studies in low-income communities were pooled. Nutrient densities were calculated using the Nutrient Rich Foods index and Nutrient Rich Diet index, with higher scores indicating more nutrient-dense foods and diets.

Adherence to Child Feeding Practices and Child Growth: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis in Cambodia.

Appropriate feeding in the first 1000 days of a child's life is critical for their health and growth. We determined associations between adherence to age-appropriate feeding practices and child growth in Cambodia. Children (n = 1079) were included in the first follow-up (FU) data analyses and followed for 30 months (six FUs).

Associations of dietary diversity with anaemia and iron status among 5- to 12-year-old schoolchildren in South Africa.

Objective: To examine the associations of dietary diversity with anaemia and iron status among primary school-aged children in South Africa.

Design: An analysis was conducted with pooled individual data from the baseline surveys from three previously conducted independent intervention studies. Two different dietary diversity scores (DDS) were calculated based on data from 1-day (1-d) and 3-day (3-d) dietary recall periods, respectively.

Nutrient patterns and their relation to anemia and iron status in 5- to 12-y-old children in South Africa.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess nutrient patterns and their relation to anemia and iron status of school children using pooled data from three study populations in South Africa.

Methods: Data from 5- to 12-y-old children (N = 578) from three independent studies conducted in two provinces in South Africa were pooled. Data used in the analysis were dietary intake, hemoglobin, and plasma ferritin concentrations.

Potential contribution of African green leafy vegetables and maize porridge composite meals to iron and zinc nutrition.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the mineral nutritive value of different traditional African green leafy vegetable (GLV) dishes and their composite meals with fortified and unfortified maize porridge.

Methods: The mineral (iron, zinc, and calcium) and antinutrient (phytate, total phenolics, and tannins) contents and in vitro bioaccessibility of iron and zinc were analyzed. The iron and zinc contents and bioaccessibilities were used to calculate contribution these dishes and meals could make toward the recommended daily requirements and absolute requirements of vulnerable populations.

Effect of African leafy vegetables on the micronutrient status of mildly deficient farm-school children in South Africa: a randomized controlled study.

Objective: A randomized controlled trial was conducted to assess the effect of African leafy vegetable (ALV) consumption on Fe, Zn and vitamin A status in children.

Design: Children were randomly allocated to receive either a 300 g cooked ALV dish and school meal starch (n 86) or the normal school meal (n 81) five times per week for three months. ALV in the dish consisted mainly of Amaranthus cruentus (at least 80 %) and the remainder of Cleome gynandra, Cucurbita maxima or Vigna unguiculata.

Indigenous and traditional plants: South African parents' knowledge, perceptions and uses and their children's sensory acceptance.

Background: The dietary shift from indigenous and traditional plants (ITPs) to cash crops and exotic plant food sources increases the risk of malnutrition and other nutrition-related non-communicable diseases, especially in poor rural communities. Farm communities in South Africa have been associated with poor nutritional status and extreme poverty. ITPs have been found to be affordable sources of several micronutrients.

Differences in health care seeking behaviour between rural and urban communities in South Africa.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore possible differences in health care seeking behaviour among a rural and urban African population.

Design: A cross sectional design was followed using the infrastructure of the PURE-SA study. Four rural and urban Setswana communities which represented different strata of urbanisation in the North West Province, South Africa, were selected.

Pressure cooker ownership and food security in Aurangabad, India.

Objective: To explore associations between household food security and home gardening, use of soya and pressure cooker ownership in low-income households affected by HIV/AIDS in Aurangabad, India.

Design: Cross-sectional pilot study which assessed household food security using the validated US Department of Agriculture's food security core-module questionnaire. Questions were added to explore household environment, education, occupation, home gardening, use of soya and pressure cooker ownership.