CONTEXT The design and evaluation of adolescent health programs rarely account for socioeconomic differences in reproductive health needs and service utilization among young women in developing countries. METHODS Nationally representative Demographic and Health Survey data for 12 developing countries were used to assess socioeconomic differentials in reproductive health outcomes and service u...

Background. Ethiopia is among highly tuberculosis affected countries. This might be related to low level of awareness on the disease in the population. The objective of the study was to determine the level of tuberculosis knowledge and socioeconomic factors associated with it. Methods. The 2011 Ethiopia health and demographic survey data were used. Overall tuberculosis knowledge score was compu...

BACKGROUND In Africa, national governments and international organizations are focusing on rapidly "scaling up" malaria control interventions to at least 60 percent of vulnerable populations. The potential health and economic benefits of "scaling up" will depend on the equitable access to malaria control measures by the poor. This paper analyses the present inequalities in access to malaria int...

BACKGROUND Undernutrition is highly prevalent among infants in Uganda. Optimal infant feeding practices may improve nutritional status, health, and survival among children. OBJECTIVE Our study evaluates the socioeconomic distribution of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) and growth outcomes among infants included in a trial, which promoted EBF by peer counselors in Uganda. DESIGN Twenty-four clu...

BACKGROUND The prevalence of HIV in Malawi is one of the highest in sub-Saharan Africa, and misconceptions about its mode of transmission are considered a major contributor to the continued spread of the virus. METHODS Using the 2010 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey, the current study explored factors associated with misconceptions about HIV transmission among males and females. RESULTS...

National surveys show a remarkable upsurge in the use of injectable contraceptives in east and South Africa, in contrast to central and West Africa and certain other regions. Data are analyzed here from 95 surveys conducted since 1980 in 38 sub-Saharan African countries, to determine past injectable trends in the context of alternative methods and to explore related issues. In eastern and south...

OBJECTIVE To determine if higher fertility and lower contraceptive use among the poorer segments of society should be considered an inequality, reflecting a higher desire for large families among the poor, or an inequity, a product of the poor being prevented from achieving their desired fertility to the same degree as wealthier segments of society. METHODS Using the most recent Demographic a...

OBJECTIVE To explore trends in socioeconomic disparities and under-five mortality rates in rural parts of the United Republic of Tanzania between 2000 and 2011. METHODS We used longitudinal data on births, deaths, migrations, maternal educational attainment and household characteristics from the Ifakara and Rufiji health and demographic surveillance systems. We estimated hazard ratios (HR) fo...

OBJECTIVE To assess equity in health outcomes and interventions for maternal and child health (MCH) services in Thailand. METHODS Women of reproductive age in 40 000 nationally representative households responded to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey in 2005-2006. We used a concentration index (CI) to assess distribution of nine MCH indicator groups across the household wealth index. For e...

Although maternal and child mortality are on the decline in southeast Asia, there are still major disparities, and greater equity is key to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. We used comparable cross-national data sources to document mortality trends from 1990 to 2008 and to assess major causes of maternal and child deaths. We present inequalities in intervention coverage by two common m...