Socio-economic predictors of undernutrition and anaemia in adolescent mothers in West and Central Africa.

Background: Adolescence is a formative period when an individual acquires physical, cognitive, emotional, and social resources that are the foundation for later life, health, and well-being [1]. However, in West and Central African region, this trajectory is curtailed by early childbearing associated with an increased risk of undernutrition and anemia. Evidence on socio-economic determinants of anemia and undernutrition in adolescent mothers is limited.

Levels and trends of adolescent girl's undernutrition and anemia in West and Central Africa from 1998 to 2017.

Background: Adolescence is a highly vulnerable period of human life characterized by substantial physiological and cognitive changes for which adequate nutrition is crucial. To date, evidence on determinants, prevalence, and trends of undernutrition and anemia for the entire West and Central African region is missing. This paper provides evidence on trends and levels of adolescent anemia and undernutrition in West and Central Africa.

Long-term consequences of early marriage and maternity in West and Central Africa: Wealth, education, and fertility.

Objective: Early marriage and childbearing have substantial detrimental effects on both, the affected girls and women at the micro level, as well as entire economies on the macro level. West and Central African countries have some of the highest prevalence rates of early marriage and maternity worldwide. This work attempts to quantify the long-term economic, societal, and fertility effects of marriage and pregnancy in early and late adolescence in West and Central Africa.

Does early childbearing affect utilization of antenatal care services and infant birth weight: Evidence from West and Central African Region.

Background: Adequate antenatal care (ANC) utilization is recognized as one of the important drivers of safe childbirth and positive birth outcomes. The usage of ANC services fluctuates with various personal, socio-economic, and cultural characteristics and in resource-poor settings, adolescent mothers are at a particularly high risk of insufficient ANC utilization.

Objectives: This paper investigates whether the usage of ANC services and institutional delivery as well as newborn birth weight differ systematically between adolescent and adult mothers in West and Central Africa.

Socio-economic predictors of adolescent marriage and maternity in West and Central Africa between 1986 and 2017.

Background: Early marriage and maternity prevalence rates among adolescent girls remain alarmingly high in West and Central Africa (WCA). This study aims to explore the associations between socio-economic factors and the prevalence of early marriage and maternity, thus contributing to the identification of girls at risk of early pregnancy or marriage.

Methods: We pooled data from national representative surveys (1986 - 2017) for 23 countries in WCA to examine associations between wealth, educational attainment, religious affiliation, and place of residence with adolescent marriage and maternity.

Levels and trends of adolescent marriage and maternity in West and Central Africa, 1986-2017.

Background: The world has made considerable progress in the reduction of adolescent maternity and early marriage. However, this progress has been uneven, with many countries finding themselves far from achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in this dimension. We assessed levels and trends over time in adolescent marriage and maternity prevalence within the West and Central African region as well as their correlation with select macro-level indicators for income and social institutions.

Individual-level predictors of practices of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions for infants and young children in West and Central Africa: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To explore the role of individual-level and household-level characteristics for practice of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions.

Design: Secondary data analysis (cross-sectional).

Setting: West and Central Africa.

Global Economic Burden of Diabetes in Adults: Projections From 2015 to 2030.

Objective: Despite the importance of diabetes for global health, the future economic consequences of the disease remain opaque. We forecast the full global costs of diabetes in adults through the year 2030 and predict the economic consequences of diabetes if global targets under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and World Health Organization Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases 2013-2020 are met.

Research Design And Methods: We modeled the absolute and gross domestic product (GDP)-relative economic burden of diabetes in individuals aged 20-79 years using epidemiological and demographic data, as well as recent GDP forecasts for 180 countries.

The global economic burden of diabetes in adults aged 20-79 years: a cost-of-illness study.

Background: Differences in methods and data used in past studies have limited comparisons of the cost of illness of diabetes across countries. We estimate the full global economic burden of diabetes in adults aged 20-79 years in 2015, using a unified framework across all countries. Our objective was to highlight patterns of diabetes-associated costs as well as to identify the need for further research in low-income regions.