Psychosocial factors associated with malaria care-seeking in rural Ethiopia.

Background: Ethiopia's National Malaria Control and Elimination Program aims to diagnose all suspected malaria cases within 24 h of fever onset and provide prompt treatment for confirmed cases. This study explored psychosocial factors associated with no-, delayed- and prompt- care-seeking among female caregivers of children under five years with fever in rural Ethiopia.

Methods: Household surveys were conducted from 2016-2019 among female caregivers (N = 479) of children under five years old with fever in Oromia; Amhara; Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region (SNNPR); and Tigray.

Applying a gender lens to social norms, couple communication and decision making to increase modern contraceptive use in Ethiopia, a mixed methods study.

Background: Ethiopia, sub-Saharan Africa's second most populous country has seen improvements in women's reproductive health. The study objectives are (1) using mixed methods research, to identify determinants of contraceptive use in four regions of Ethiopia, and (2) to explore the relationship between social norms, gender equitable norms, couple communication and contraceptive use.

Methods: The study includes both quantitative and qualitative methods.

Feasibility and acceptability of a novel community-based mental health intervention delivered by community volunteers in Maharashtra, India: the Atmiyata programme.

Background: Many community-based intervention models for mental health and wellbeing have undergone robust experimental evaluation; however, there are limited accounts of the implementation of these evidence-based interventions in practice. Atmiyata piloted the implementation of a community-led intervention to identify and understand the challenges of delivering such an intervention. The goal of the pilot evaluation is to identify factors important for larger-scale implementation across an entire district in India.

Physical and sociocultural facilitators and barriers to access and utilization of a nutrition program in rural Malawi: a qualitative study.

Childhood stunting holds consequences for child development. A nutrition program delivering small-quantity lipid based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) to children 6-23 months and child feeding messages was implemented in Malawi to reduce stunting. This study sought to understand the facilitators and barriers to program participation using in-depth interviews, pile sorts, direct observations, and focus group discussions with caretakers, village leaders and program volunteers.

Promoting wellbeing and improving access to mental health care through community champions in rural India: the intervention approach.

Background: There are limited accounts of community-based interventions for reducing distress or providing support for people with common mental disorders (CMDs) in low and middle-income countries. The recently implemented programme is one such community-based mental health intervention focused on promoting wellness and reducing distress through community volunteers in a rural area in the state of Maharashtra, India.

Case Presentation: This case study describes the content and the process of implementation of and how community volunteers were trained to become champions and mitras ().

Seeds of prevention: the impact on health behaviors of young adolescent girls in Uttar Pradesh, India, a cluster randomized control trial.

Of the world's 1.2 billion adolescents (10-19 years), India is home to the largest number globally, about 243 million. However not much is known about the health of young adolescent girls (11-14 years) in India who enter puberty with substantial nutritional and health deficits.

Understanding health information needs and gaps in the health care system in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Health information and the channels that facilitate the flow and exchange of this information to and among health care providers are key elements of a strong health system that offers high-quality services,yet few studies have examined how health care workers define, obtain, and apply information in the course of their daily work. To better understand health information needs and barriers across all of levels of the health care system, the authors conducted a needs assessment in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. Data collection consisted of 46 key informant interviews and 9 focus group discussions.

Influence of dietary and socio-demographic factors on the iron status of married adolescent girls from Indian urban slums.

To explore the influence of dietary factors of iron bioavailability and socio-demographic conditions on blood iron status of married adolescent girls (MAG), a cross-sectional study was conducted in 173 MAG (15-19 years old) from urban slums near Pune city, India. Diet was assessed by two random 24-h recalls. The age, weight, height, education, family size, income, physical work, and number of days of menstrual loss were recorded.

Nurses' health education program in India increases HIV knowledge and reduces fear.

Few health care facilities are adequately prepared to manage and care for HIV/AIDS patients in India. Nurses play a critical role in patient care but are often ill-equipped to deal with their own fears of occupational risk and handle the clinical aspects of HIV/AIDS care, leading to stigma and discrimination toward HIV-positive patients. The authors examine the impact of a 4-day HIV/AIDS health education program on knowledge and attitudes of nurses in a government hospital.