Improving dietary diversity and food security among low-income families during financial crisis using cash transfers and mHealth: experience from two selected districts in Sri Lanka.

Background: The economic crisis in Sri Lanka worsened food insecurity, with millions facing moderate-to-severe food shortages. This study evaluates the effectiveness of cash transfers combined with mobile health education in enhancing dietary diversity and food security among Sri Lankan households during the crisis.

Methods: This quasi-experimental single-group pre-post study involved 1040 eligible individuals selected through stratified random sampling from eligible households of Samurdhi beneficiaries and smallholder farmers.

Strengthening social capital in the Sri Lankan population: A qualitative exploration of factors driving the mothers' support groups initiative during economic crisis.

Background: Social capital is a concept that has been identified to improve health outcomes in many populations. Due to COVID-19 and many other factors, Sri Lanka faced a massive economic crisis that affected the nutrition of communities. Many community engagement initiatives have begun to promote the country's nutrition during the worst-hit years.

Empowering Communities During the COVID-19 Pandemic Through Mothers' Support Groups: Evidence From a Community Engagement Initiative in Sri Lanka.

Community empowerment has previously been used to mitigate the effects of health emergencies, such as outbreaks of Ebola virus disease and Zika virus. In Sri Lanka, mothers' support groups (MSGs) aim to promote community health, well-being, and nutrition practices through community engagement. With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, MSGs were mobilized by the Health Promotion Bureau in response to the pandemic.

Hospital-based surveillance of invasive pneumococcal disease and pneumonia in South Bangalore, India.

Objective: To estimate the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease and pneumonia, distribution of pneumococcal serotypes, and antibiotic susceptibility in children aged 28 days to <60 months.

Design: Hospital-based surveillance.

Setting: South Bangalore, India.

Rotavirus infections with multiple emerging genotypes in Sri Lanka.

Rotavirus diarrhea is an important cause of child mortality in developing countries, but studies on this diarrhea are scarce in Sri Lanka. A prospective study conducted in Sri Lanka on rotavirus infection among children in a hospital setting (n = 611) versus children residing in tsunami camps (n = 52) showed that prevalence of rotavirus infection was comparable, 21.9 and 20%, respectively.