A dataset on the socioeconomic and behavioural impacts in Sri Lanka through multiple waves of COVID-19.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was diverse and disproportionate among nations, and population segments. The impacts of the disease and the containment strategies adopted are broad and cut across multiple facets of life, society, and the economy, which are intimately interlinked. Therefore, a large household survey was conducted to ascertain the socioeconomic impact and human behavior changes due to the pandemic and the containment strategies covering all provinces of Sri Lanka.

What predicts health facility delivery among women? analysis from the 2021 Madagascar Demographic and Health Survey.

Background: One of the pivotal determinants of maternal and neonatal health outcomes hinges on the choice of place of delivery. However, the decision to give birth within the confines of a health facility is shaped by a complex interplay of sociodemographic, economic, cultural, and healthcare system-related factors. This study examined the predictors of health facility delivery among women in Madagascar.

Choice of formal and informal care among community-dwelling older people with or without dementia under a long-term care insurance pilot program in China.

Objective: This study examines the use of publicly funded formal and informal care among community-dwelling long-term care insurance (LTCI) beneficiaries in China and how dementia differentiates the choice of care.

Methods: Using administrative data from a LTCI pilot scheme in Guangzhou (n = 2043), we conducted a multinomial logistic regression to examine the association between dementia and the choice of family members (informal unpaid care), domestic helpers (informal paid care) and care workers (formal care), controlling for demographics, living environment and intensity of paid care hours.

Results: Most LTCI beneficiaries chose a family member (65%), followed by a domestic helper (21%) and a care worker (14%).

Association between water insecurity and antiretroviral therapy adherence among pregnant and postpartum women in Greater Accra region of Ghana.

Background: Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) can substantially reduce morbidity and mortality among women living with HIV (WLWH) and prevent vertical transmission of HIV. However, in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), more than 50% of new mothers discontinue ART and HIV care after childbirth. The role of water insecurity (WI) in ART adherence is not well-explored.

Health literacy, worry about unmet needs for medical care, and psychological well-being among older Chinese adults.

Aim: This study aims to examine the relationship between older adults' health literacy and their psychological well-being and the role of worry about future unmet needs for medical care in mediating this relationship.

Methods: We adopted a sample of 965 older Chinese people aged 60+ (49.74% female) from the 2021 Chinese General Social Survey.

Fiscal policies and regulations for healthy diets in Sri Lanka: an analysis of the political economy of taxation and traffic light labelling for sugar-sweetened beverages.

Background: Unhealthy dietary patterns significantly contribute to rising non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Sri Lanka. The government has implemented policy measures to promote healthy dietary patterns, including the traffic light labelling (TLL) system for sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in 2016 and taxation on SSBs in 2017.

Objectives: To analyse how ideas, institutions, and power dynamics influence the formulation and implementation of these two interventions, and to identify strategies for public health actors to advocate for more effective food environment policies in Sri Lanka.

A multilevel analysis of social determinants of skilled birth attendant utilisation among married and cohabiting women of Madagascar.

Background: Maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in Madagascar is 392 deaths per 100 000 live births, and this is a major public health concern. One of the strategies for reducing MMR and achieving target 3.1 of the Sustainable Development Goals (i.

Perceived risks, challenges and coping strategies among West African immigrant entrepreneurs in Ghana.

Globally, immigrants' entrepreneurship has been widely acknowledged as a critical driver for the socio-economic development of nations. Yet, studies barely examine the risks and difficulties immigrants encounter in their business transactions, especially those engaged in small-scale itinerant retail businesses. This paper strives to fill this lacuna from the contextual perspective of the Global South by examining the risks and complexities of West African immigrant entrepreneurs in Accra, Ghana.

Motivational discourse and campaign-style mobilisation: A positive discourse analysis of language poverty alleviation discourse in China.

Many studies have investigated language poverty related to aspects of economic assistance, water scarcity, gender inequality, climate change, etc. However, a focus on language policy discourse has been lacking. Language policy discourse is vital because it can be deemed as preliminary to language poverty alleviation action, influencing the success of its implementation.

Gender differences in the acceptance of wife-beating: evidence from 30 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) has cited domestic violence as an urgent global maternal and child health priority. Gender differences in the acceptance of wife-beating have not been explored at the multi-country level in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where the occurrence of wife-beating (36%) is greater than the global average (30%). It is against this backdrop that we examine the gender differences in the acceptance of wife beating in SSA.

Socioeconomic inequalities in modern contraceptive use among women in Benin: a decomposition analysis.

Background: Contraceptive use is crucial to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3. Evidence of socioeconomic inequality in the use of modern contraceptives is essential to address the developing inequality in its utilisation given the low prevalence of contraceptive use among women in Benin. This study examined the socioeconomic inequalities in modern contraceptive use among women in Benin.

Social Determinants of Health and Happiness of Older Adults in Ghana: Secondary Analysis of Ghana SAGE Wave 2 Longitudinal Data.

Background: Social determinants of health [SDOH] and happiness have received meaningful consideration as foundational concepts in the field of public health. However, the relationship between the SDOH and happiness of older adults have not received the requisite recognition in Ghana. This study examined the relationship between the SDOH and happiness of older adults in Ghana.

Contraceptive use pattern based on the number and composition of children among married women in sub-Saharan Africa: a multilevel analysis.

Background: The relationship between composition of children and contraception use has received limited scholarly attention in sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, we examined the relationship between contraceptive methods, the number and composition of children in SSA.

Methods: Data on 21 countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries that had a Demographic and Health Survey on or before 2015 were analysed.

Stakeholders' perceptions of the trends in contraceptive prevalence rate and total fertility rate in Ghana.

Background: Studies in Ghana have reported discrepancies between trends in Total Fertility Rate (TFR) and Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR). Yet, there is limited empirical literature on stakeholders' perceptions on the trends in CPR and TFR in Ghana. We, therefore, examined the perceptions of key stakeholders about the documented trends in CPR and TFR in Ghana.

An assessment of Individual, community and state-level factors associated with inadequate iodised salt consumption among pregnant and lactating women in Nigeria.

Background: Iodine deficiency is the most common cause of thyroid disease, and in its severe form can result in cretinism; the impairment of the brain development of a child. Pregnant and breastfeeding women's daily iodine requirement is elevated due to physiological changes in iodine metabolism, requiring up to double the iodine intake of other women. Although Nigeria was the first African country to be declared iodine sufficient in 2007, recent evidence has shown that only about seven in ten households consume salt with adequate iodine content (≥ 15 ppm), with variation across states.

Modeling impacts of climate change on the geographic distribution and abundances of in Tigray region, Ethiopia.

is a multipurpose dry land species in sub-Saharan that is traditionally used to build resilience into the farming system. The species is highly threatened and listed on the IUCN Red List. However, information on how climatic condition locally influences its ecological distribution is limited.

Rape survivors' experience in Tigray: a qualitative study.

Introduction: As consequences of war, women and girls are the most likely segment of society to be impacted by violence. War also affects the critical facilities and makes the situation worse as victims cannot get the vital basic services. According to media and unpublished reports, Tigrayan women have been victimized by gang rape and sexual violence.

Neutralizing the surging emissions amidst natural resource dependence, eco-innovation, and green energy in G7 countries: Insights for global environmental sustainability.

The unrelenting surge in global warming in the current era suggests the inevitable need for governments across the globe to embark on policy measures that will help flatten the curve of the surging emissions. Consequently, the concept of carbon neutrality has become a vital policy approach for countries to achieve sustainable development. The present study extends the debates on carbon neutrality by examining the extent to which prominent factors such as natural resource dependence, eco-innovation, and green energy (biofuel and renewable energy) facilitate or hinder strides toward achieving carbon neutral environment in G7 economies.

Gerontechnology for better elderly care and life quality: a systematic literature review.

Gerontechnology as multidisciplinary research has expanded in recent years due to its significant role in ensuring better care and improved quality of life for older adults and their caregivers. With a substantial increase in studies on reasons behind less inclination of older individuals to accept gerontechnology, barriers to its non-acceptance appear to be persistent. In addition, there is a dearth of research on the adoption of gerontechnology from the perspectives of social caregivers, given that caregivers bear a substantial burden in the form of chronic stress, which adversely affects their health and that of older people.

Assessing the combined effect of household cooking fuel and urbanicity on acute respiratory symptoms among under-five years in sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: This study sought to investigate the association between urbanicity (rural-urban residency), the use of solid biomass cooking fuels and the risk of Acute Respiratory Infections (ARIs) among children under the age of 5 in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Methods: Cross-sectional data from the most recent surveys of the Demographic and Health Survey Program conducted in 31 sub-Saharan African countries were pooled for the analysis. The outcome variables, cough and rapid short breath were derived from questions that asked mothers if their children under the age of 5 suffered from cough and short rapid breath in the past two weeks preceding the survey.

Sexual Coercion and Harassment of Students with Disabilities in a Public University in Ghana.

There is limited literature on sexual coercion/harassment of university students with disabilities, hence we, explored this phenomenon in Ghana, using a sequential explanatory-mixed method design that involved 119 (62 males and 57 females) students with various disabilities in the quantitative study and 12 (7 females and 5 males) students in the qualitative phase using questionnaire and interview guide for data collection respectively. We found that participants were not aware of the university's sexual coercion/harassment policy nor involved in its formulation/dissemination. Persistently asking for sexual relationships, pressurized for outings, attempted/forced kissing, being sexually looked at, engaging in uncomfortable sexual conversations, and sexually provocative touch were common.

Health facility delivery and early initiation of breastfeeding: Cross-sectional survey of 11 sub-Saharan African countries.

Background And Aims: Early initiation of breastfeeding (EIB) remains one of the promising interventions for preventing neonatal and child deaths. EIB is positively associated with healthcare delivery or childbirth. Meanwhile, no study in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) appears to have investigated the relationship between health facility delivery and EIB; thus, we assessed the correlation between health facility delivery and EIB.