Vitamin A-related nutrition knowledge gaps and predictors among caregivers of preschool children in Eastern Uganda: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Vitamin A (VA) remains a core micronutrient as VA Deficiency (VAD) in children has persisted as a public health problem in parts of Africa with adverse effects. Caregivers of children are essential in the control of VAD; however, there is a paucity of data on their knowledge of VA, dietary sources, and VAD. This study sought to assess the level of VA-related nutrition knowledge (VANK) and its predictors among caregivers of preschool children in Eastern Uganda.

Are women in Uganda gaining adequate gestational weight? A prospective study in low income urban Kampala.

Background: Pre-pregnancy weight and weight gained during pregnancy significantly influence maternal and infant health. Little information is available regarding optimal gestational weight gain (GWG) in relation to pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) in Uganda. The study aimed at determining gestational weight gain (GWG) in women pregnant for the first and second time.

Effect of maternal Helicobacter Pylori infection on birth weight in an urban community in Uganda.

Background: Helicobacter pylori, a widespread infection particularly in developing countries has been associated with many adverse effects during pregnancy including hyperemesis gravidarum, neural tube defects in newborns, intrauterine fetal growth restriction and miscarriage. We sought to document the effects of H. pylori infection on birth weight in a low-income setting in Kampala, Uganda.

Undergraduate students' contributions to health service delivery through community-based education: A qualitative study by the MESAU Consortium in Uganda.

Background: It has been realised that there is need to have medical training closer to communities where the majority of the population lives in order to orient the trainees' attitudes towards future practice in such communities. Although community based education (CBE) has increasingly been integrated into health professions curricula since the 1990s, the contribution students make to service delivery during CBE remains largely undocumented. In this study, we examined undergraduate health professions students' contribution to primary health care during their CBE placements.

Evaluating community-based medical education programmes in Africa: A workshop report.

Background: The Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) supports medical schools in Africa to increase the capacity and quality of medical education, improve retention of graduates, and promote regionally relevant research. Many MEPI programmes include elements of community-based education (CBE) such as: community placements; clinical rotations in underserved locations, community medicine, or primary health; situational analyses; or student-led research.

Methods: CapacityPlus and the MEPI Coordinating Center conducted a workshop to share good practices for CBE evaluation, identify approaches that can be used for CBE evaluation in the African context, and strengthen a network of CBE collaborators.

The aetiology of anaemia during pregnancy: a study to evaluate the contribution of iron deficiency and common infections in pregnant Ugandan women.

Objective: To describe the aetiology of anaemia in pregnant Ugandan women and explore Fe deficiency and common infections as contributors to anaemia in this population.

Design: Cross-sectional study in which Hb, ferritin, transferrin receptor (sTfR), C-reactive protein, α-1 acid glycoprotein, hepcidin, malaria, hookworm infestation, syphilis and Helicobacter pylori infection were assessed.

Setting: Antenatal care clinic at Kawempe Health Centre, Kampala, Uganda.

Helicobacter pylori infection in pregnant women in four districts of Uganda: role of geographic location, education and water sources.

Background: The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection varies in relation to geography, ethnicity and socioeconomic factors. Available data on the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in Uganda are not representative of the general population. We sought to describe the epidemiology of this infection in pregnant women in Uganda to provide background data for a study into the effect of H.

Medical Education for Equitable Services for All Ugandans (MESAU) consortium: development and achievements.

Purpose: In 2011, five medical schools in Uganda formed the Medical Education for Equitable Services for All Ugandans consortium to address the medical education challenges in meeting the nation's health needs. In this paper, the authors document the development and achievements of this unique collaboration to transform medical education in Uganda.

Method: A longitudinal qualitative study employed anthropological techniques to examine the proposed idea and development of the consortium, the experiences of consortium members, and the successes and challenges encountered during its first three years (2011-2013).

Community-based education programs in Africa: faculty experience within the Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) network.

Purpose: This paper examines the various models, challenges, and evaluative efforts of community-based education (CBE) programs at Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) schools and makes recommendations to strengthen those programs in the African context.

Methods: Data were gathered from 12 MEPI schools through self-completion of a standardized questionnaire on goals, activities, challenges, and evaluation of CBE programs over the study period, from November to December 2013. Data were analyzed manually through the collation of inputs from the schools included in the survey.

Investing in community-based education to improve the quality, quantity, and retention of physicians in three African countries.

Context: The Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) is a $US 130 million program funded by the United States government supporting 13 African medical schools to increase the quantity, quality, and retention of physicians in underserved areas. This paper examines how community-based education (CBE) is evolving at MEPI schools to achieve these goals.

Methods: We utilized data from the first two years of site visits and surveys to characterize CBE efforts across the MEPI network and provide detailed descriptions of three models of CBE among the MEPI programs.

Learning health professionalism at Makerere University: an exploratory study amongst undergraduate students.

Background: Anecdotal evidence shows that unprofessional conduct is becoming a common occurrence amongst health workers in Uganda. The development of appropriate professional values, attitudes and behaviors is a continuum that starts when a student joins a health professional training institution and as such health professionals in training need to be exposed to the essence of professionalism. We sought to explore undergraduate health professions students' perceptions and experiences of learning professionalism as a preliminary step in addressing the problem of unprofessional conduct amongst health workers in Uganda.

Application of retinol-binding protein enzyme immunoassay to dried blood spots to assess vitamin A deficiency in a population-based survey: the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2006.

Background: Vitamin A deficiency is a public health problem in most developing countries. The technological challenges associated with the measurement of serum retinol have limited the epidemiologic assessment of vitamin A deficiency. The combination of retinol-binding protein (RBP) enzyme immunoassay and dried blood spots offers a rapid, inexpensive, and reliable tool for the population-level assessment of vitamin A deficiency in resource-poor settings.