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May 01, 2023

Reducing ethnic disparities in child health and nutrition is a global priority, but there is a lack of comprehensive analysis on progress made by different countries

Reducing ethnic disparities in child health and nutrition is a global priority, but there is a lack of comprehensive analysis on progress made by different countries. We analyzed data from 59 DHS and MICS surveys conducted in low and middle-income countries to identify countries that have successfully reduced ethnic gaps in child health and nutrition. We used three key outcome indicators: under-five mortality, child stunting prevalence, and a composite index based on coverage with eight mater

March 31, 2023

Inequalities in Immunization against Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Protection at Birth Coverage Using Household Health Survey Data from 76 Countries

Maternal and neonatal tetanus is a vaccine-preventable disease (with coverage of the infant conferred by maternal immunization during and prior to pregnancy). Thus, maternal tetanus immunization coverage is a key metric for monitoring progress towards, equity in, and sustainability of tetanus elimination. This study explores the extent of inequalities in maternal tetanus immunization coverage across 76 low- and middle-income countries. We considered four dimensions of inequality as follows we

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