Global, regional, and national prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adults during 1980–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013

https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(07)61690-0.pdf

Maternal and child undernutrition: global and regional exposures and health consequences

https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140673605710485.pdf

4 million neonatal deaths: When? Where? Why?

https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(03)13779-8.pdf

Where and why are 10 million children dying every year

https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(10)60518-1.pdf

Maternal mortality for 181 countries, 1980-2008: a systematic analysis of progress towards Millennium Development Goal 5.

Demographic and health surveys

This article reviews what has been learned to date about the role of gender-based power in sexual relationships in determining sexual and reproductive health outcomes. A framework for assessing the relationship between power relations and reproductive health is outlined and measurement issues are critically discussed. A summary is included of the main types of intervention approaches that have been implemented, as are a discussion of the programmatic, methodological, and ethical implications of the findings and recommendations for further experimentation and research. Although many challenges remain, results to date suggest that when the role of gender-based power is made an integral feature of sexual and reproductive health programs, there is a considerable payoff for both women and men.

The Effect of Power in Sexual Relationships on Sexual and Reproductive Health: An Examination of the Evidence

Multinomial logistic regression techniques are used to estimate personal and familial determinants of childrens participation and progress in school in seven sub-Saharan African countries. Data are obtained from Demographic and Health Surveys for Kenya and Tanzania Cameroon and Niger and Malawi Namibia and Zambia. Findings indicate that most 10-14 year olds were currently enrolled in school with the exception of Niger. However few in this age group completed the first four years of primary education. Four conclusions are drawn. 1) Family and household characteristics in particular education of the head and living standard determined whether a child was enrolled and how rapidly the child advanced by grade level. Both factors were important but education of the head appeared to be the most important factor in explaining current enrollment rates and the timing of school entry. Standard of living was associated with the widest differences in attainment of four grade levels. 2) The chances of enrollment and progress in school appeared to be unrelated to the survival of parents. 3) Children benefitted educationally more from female headed households when compared to male headed households at the same resource level. 4) Specific gender differences varied by country. Family and household circumstances did not operate systematically across countries to the advantage of boys or girls. The proportion of children aged 10 years currently attending school who were at the appropriate grade level ranged from 96% in Tanzania to 59% in Malawi. By the age of 14 years the respective proportions were from 56% to 25%. The drop was attributed in part to grade repetition. The proportion who completed grade 4 by age 14 out of the ever-enrolled was 79% in Kenya 74% in Zambia 73% in Tanzania 68% in Cameroon 58% in Namibia 44% in Malawi and 23% in Niger.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/2137435.pdf

Children's Schooling in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Role of Fathers, Mothers, and Others

This article offers an overview of sexual behavior and contraceptive knowledge and use among adolescent women across a large number of developing countries. The results demonstrate that almost universally in sub-Saharan Africa and in the majority of countries in other regions, the gap between age at first sexual intercourse and age at first marriage has increased across age cohorts. The predominant pattern is one in which both age at marriage and age at first intercourse have risen, but the increase in age at marriage is greater, resulting in a widening gap. In most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, current contraceptive use is higher among sexually active, unmarried teens than it is among married teens, whereas in Latin America and the Caribbean, current-use levels are higher among married teens. The results also show that adolescents are unlikely to use a contraceptive the first time they have sex and are more likely than older women to experience a contraceptive failure.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/172153.pdf

Sexual behavior and contraceptive knowledge and use among adolescents in developing countries.

OBJECTIVE: To critically examine the data used to produce estimates of the proportion of infants with low birth weight in developing countries and to describe biases in these data. To assess the effect of adjustment procedures on the estimates and propose a modified estimation procedure for international reporting purposes. METHODS: Mothers' reports about their recent births in 62 nationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted between 1990 and 2000 were analysed. The proportion of infants weighed at birth, characteristics of those weighed, extent of misreporting, and mothers' subjective assessments of their children's size at birth were examined. FINDINGS: In many developing countries the majority of infants were not weighed at birth. Those who were weighed were more likely to have mothers who live in urban areas and are educated, and to be born in a medical facility with assistance from medically trained personnel. Birth weights reported by mothers are "heaped" on multiples of 500 grams. CONCLUSION: Current survey-based estimates of the prevalence of low birth weight are biased substantially downwards. Two adjustments to reported data are recommended: a weighting procedure that combines reported birth weights with mothers' assessment of the child's size at birth, and categorization of one-quarter of the infants reported to have a birth weight of exactly 2500 grams as having low birth weight. Averaged over all surveys, these procedures increased the proportion classified as having low birth weight by 25%. We also recommend that the proportion of infants not weighed at birth be routinely reported. Efforts are needed to increase the weighing of newborns and the recording of their weights.

/pdf/monitoring-low-birth-weight-an-evaluation-of-international-hozomyb2vv.pdf

Ann K. Blanc

Papers

Demographic and health surveys

The Effect of Power in Sexual Relationships on Sexual and Reproductive Health: An Examination of the Evidence

Children's Schooling in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Role of Fathers, Mothers, and Others

Sexual behavior and contraceptive knowledge and use among adolescents in developing countries.

Monitoring low birth weight: an evaluation of international estimates and an updated estimation procedure