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March 16, 2023

Women's marital status and use of family planning services across male- and female-headed households in low- and middle-income countries

Does household headship influence family planning coverage? This study explored differentials in demand for family planning satisfied by modern contraceptives among reproductive age women residing in male and female-headed households and how this intersects with women’s marital status and sexual activity in low- and middle-income countries. Higher demand for family planning satisfied among women living in male-headed households was identified for almost all countries. However, the st

February 17, 2023

Sociodemographic inequalities in vegetables, fruits, and animal source foods consumption in children aged 6 - 23 months from 91 LMIC

This study is the first to describe patterns in the prevalence and social inequalities of the newly developed indicators of Zero Vegetables and Fruits consumption (ZVF) and Eggs and Flesh Foods consumption (EFF). Data from nationally representative surveys (2010–2019) in 91 low-and middle-income countries were used to investigate within-country disparities in ZVF and EFF by place of residence, wealth quintiles, child sex and child age. Our findings showed that 6–23 months children fr

February 17, 2023

Cross-national associations between age at marriage and intimate partner violence among young women: an analysis of Demographic and Health Surveys from 48 countries

Recent global estimates of violence against women compiled by WHO show that 1 in 4 young women who have been in a relationship will already have experienced IPV by the time they reach their mid-twenties. In this work, we estimated the associations between age at first marriage and recent intimate partner violence (IPV) among women young women aged 20–24 years using data from demographic and health surveys (DHS) conducted at 48 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We fitted a multil

February 17, 2023

The role of gender inequality and health expenditure on the coverage of demand for family planning satisfied by modern contraceptives: a multilevel analysis of cross-sectional studies in 14 LAC countries

International efforts are essential to improve reproductive health indicators. Despite advances, there is a lack of studies on contextual factors associated with modern contraceptive coverage. Our study investigated the association between country-level factors (gender inequality index and health expenditure) with demand for family planning satisfied by modern contraceptive methods (DFPSm) in 14 Latin American countries. We included data from each country's most recent (post-2010) Demographi

February 06, 2023

What are the sources of contraceptives for married and unmarried adolescents: Health services or friends? Analysis of 59 low- and middle-income countries

This is a study exploring the main sources of contraceptives among adolescents in 59 low- and middle-income countries. Although different patterns of inequalities in demand for family planning satisfied among married and unmarried adolescents were identified, the public sector of almost all countries is still not reaching unmarried adolescents. The study also identified that friends or relatives were a more significant source of contraceptives among unmarried compared to married adolescents in a

January 18, 2023

Inequalities in child immunization coverage: potential lessons from the Guinea-Bissau case

Immunization is one of the main interventions responsible for the decline in under-5 mortality. In Guinea-Bissau, a low-income African country, vaccination is supported by international agencies, such as the World Bank, the World Health Organization (WHO), and GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance. Vaccines are provided free of charge in health centers and the program is implemented via routine vaccinations, specific campaigns, and catch-up and mop-up campaigns. The immunization schedule includes one dose

December 20, 2022

Early initiation of breastfeeding is inversely associated with public and private c-sections in 73 lower- and middle-income countries

Early initiation of breastfeeding—putting a newborn to the breast within the first hour after birth—ensures that the infant receives essential protection factors via colostrum, and it also increases the likelihood of exclusive breastfeeding and the overall duration of breastfeeding. Cesarean section deliveries have been systematically and directly associated with delayed initiation of breastfeeding. Some obsolete practices in health facilities and the lack of knowledge about breas

November 22, 2022

Geographic inequalities in health intervention coverage – mapping the composite coverage index in Peru using geospatial modelling

The composite coverage index (CCI) provides an integrated perspective towards universal health coverage in the context of reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health. Given the sample design of most household surveys does not provide coverage estimates below the first administrative level, approaches for achieving more granular estimates are needed. We used a model-based geostatistical approach to estimate the CCI at multiple resolutions in Peru. We generated estimates for the eight indi