Journal of health, population, and nutrition
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J Health Popul Nutr · Dec 2003
Editorial CommentWhen should cholera vaccine be used in cholera-endemic areas?
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J Health Popul Nutr · Sep 2003
Review of North-South and South-South cooperation and conditions necessary to sustain research capability in developing countries.
The paper extracted pertinent aspects of 21 years (1981-2001) of scientific cooperation among Zimbabwe's Blair Research Laboratory (BRL), the Biomedical Research and Training Institute (BRTI), and the Danish Bilharziasis Laboratory (DBL). DBL supported the building of research capacity at BRL through PhD-level training and short courses on research training organized by BRTI. The BRL-BRTI-DBL cooperation involved institutional support, scientific training, joint research programmes, and technology transfer, and forms a basis for the discussion of North-South and South-South collaboration in this paper. ⋯ Over the last eight years, BRTI has established regional and international legitimacy, and many funding agencies accept the role of the organization in 'Third Country Training for South-South Cooperation'. The article concludes by identifying essential conditions for sustaining research capability at BRL and similar institutions in developing countries. In rolling out a new ethos for research, great expectation is placed on the success of the New Partnership for Africa Development.
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This paper aims at articulating a conceptual framework for monitoring equity in health and healthcare. The focus is on four main questions: What is health equity? What is monitoring? What are the essential components of a system for monitoring health equity? and Why monitor health equity? Monitoring equity in health and healthcare requires comparing indicators of health and its social determinants among social groups with different levels of underlying social advantage, i.e. groups who occupy different positions in a social hierarchy. A framework is presented for formulating the key questions, defining the social groups to be compared, and selecting the health indicators and measures of disparity that are fundamental to monitoring health equity. Although monitoring health equity is a scientific endeavour, its fundamental objective is guided by values; technical challenges should be addressed as part of a broader strategy to confront the political obstacles to greater equity.
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J Health Popul Nutr · Jun 2002
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialDo side-effects reduce compliance to iron supplementation? A study of daily- and weekly-dose regimens in pregnancy.
Side-effects of iron supplementation lead to poor compliance. A weekly-dose schedule of iron supplementation rather than a daily-dose regimen has been suggested to produce fewer side-effects, thereby achieving a higher compliance. This study compared side-effects of iron supplementation and their impact on compliance among pregnant women in Bangladesh. ⋯ In conclusion, weekly supplementation of iron in pregnancy had a higher compliance compared to daily supplementation of iron despite a higher frequency of side-effects. The findings support the view that gastrointestinal side-effects generally have a limited influence on compliance, at least in the dose ranges studied. Efforts to further reduce side-effects of iron supplementation may not be a successful strategy for improving compliance and effectiveness of antenatal iron supplementation.
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Topical application of natural oils is practised routinely in many countries and may either improve skin barrier function and health or have detrimental cutaneous and systemic effects, depending on the composition of the oil. Little literature on the epidemiology, practice, and perceptions of traditional neonatal oil massage is available. This study was undertaken to gain insights into the epidemiology, practice, and perceptions regarding traditional oil massage of Bangladeshi neonates. ⋯ Perceived benefits included prevention of infections (69%) and hypothermia (2%). Oil massage is an important traditional domiciliary practice used annually on more than three million newborns in Bangladesh. Given its potential for beneficial and harmful effects, further research is needed on the value of this practice, and ways to optimize its beneficial effects.