Household-Level Coverage of Iron-Biofortified Beans in the Northern Province of Rwanda.

Background: Biofortification, the process of enhancing the micronutrient content of staple crops, is a nutrition-sensitive agricultural intervention with the potential to increase micronutrient intakes and improve health outcomes, especially among vulnerable populations. Although data are available on the number of farming households that grow biofortified crops, information on the coverage of biofortified foods in the general population is limited. Such information is critical to assess the performance of biofortification programs and guide decisions related to program implementation while ascertaining progress toward achieving expected impacts.

Predictors for achieving adequate antenatal care visits during pregnancy: a cross-sectional study in rural Northwest Rwanda.

Background: Inadequate antenatal care (ANC) in low-income countries has been identified as a risk factor for poor pregnancy outcome. While many countries, including Rwanda, have near universal ANC coverage, a significant proportion of pregnant women do not achieve the recommended regimen of four ANC visits. The present study aimed to explore the factors associated with achieving the recommendation, with an emphasis on the distance from household to health facilities.

Status and Trends of Physical Activity Surveillance, Policy, and Research in 164 Countries: Findings From the Global Observatory for Physical Activity-GoPA! 2015 and 2020 Surveys.

Background: Physical activity (PA) surveillance, policy, and research efforts need to be periodically appraised to gain insight into national and global capacities for PA promotion. The aim of this paper was to assess the status and trends in PA surveillance, policy, and research in 164 countries.

Methods: We used data from the Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) 2015 and 2020 surveys.

A Mixed-Methods Study of Factors Influencing Access to and Use of Micronutrient Powders in Rwanda.

The World Health Organization recommends point-of-use fortification with multiple micronutrients powder (MNP) for foods consumed by children aged 6-23 months in populations where anemia prevalence among children under 2 years or under 5 years of age is 20% or higher. In Rwanda, anemia affects 37% of children under 5 years. The MNP program was implemented to address anemia, but research on factors affecting the implementation of the MNP program is limited.

An empirical study of factors associated with height-for-age -scores of children aged 6-23 months in northwest Rwanda: the role of care practices related to child feeding and health.

We aimed to identify the factors influencing child height-for-age z-scores (HAZ) as a measure of child nutritional status in Rwanda, and to examine the role of child feeding and health practices. We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 379 children (aged 6-23 months) and their mothers in northwest Rwanda. Data were collected using a pre-tested, structured questionnaire.

A qualitative analysis of infant and young child feeding practices in rural Rwanda.

Objective: To explore and gain an in-depth understanding of the factors influencing child feeding practices among rural caregivers in Rwanda.

Design: In-depth semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants.

Use of High Density Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) Arrays to Assess Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Dairy Cattle in Smallholder Dairy Systems: The Case of Girinka Programme in Rwanda.

In most smallholder dairy programmes, farmers are not fully benefitting from the genetic potential of their dairy cows. This is in part due to the mismatch between the available genotypes and the environment, including management, in which the animals perform. With sparse performance and pedigree records in smallholder dairy farms, the true degree of baseline genetic variability and breed composition is not known and hence rendering any genetic improvement initiative difficult to implement.