Health Science Reports最新文献

Background: Despite the emphasised benefits of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) among pregnant and breastfeeding mothers being recognised globally, its practice is still low among developing countries, including Tanzania. Several barriers to EBF in Tanzania have been detailed but lack a comprehensive approach. This study provides comprehensive evidence of the barriers to EBF, drawing from existing studies in Tanzania.

Methods: This review was conducted using search queries in several databases, including PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus and Web of Science. The review included qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies written in English addressing EBF in Tanzania. The critical appraisal skills programme checklist was used to assess the quality of studies while thematic analysis was used to analyse the data for each identified study.

Result: Twenty-three studies (23) from 10 regions met inclusion criteria, including eight qualitative studies, nine cross-sectional studies, four mixed methods approaches, and two quantitative studies. All the studies reported maternal, infant and social-environmental to EBF practices in Tanzania.

Conclusion: Though this review has shown evidence of barriers to EBF, further research is needed, especially on factors influencing EBF practices in Tanzania.

Purpose: Maternal omega-3 intake during pregnancy may influence infants' anthropometric measurements and pregnancy outcomes. This study reviewed research articles investigating the effects of omega-3 supplementation during pregnancy on infants' anthropometric indices and pregnancy outcomes.

Methods: A search for studies conducted up to March 2025 was carried out in Medline/PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. To assess the risk of bias in the studies, the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment tool for randomized trials was utilized. Outcomes were evaluated using odds ratios (OR) or standardized mean differences (SMD) along with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). The certainty of evidence was evaluated by GRADE.

Results: This meta-analysis included a total of 23 studies involving (intervention group=12,341 and control group=12,294 women). The pooled analysis showed that Omega-3 supplementation was associated with a modest but statistically significant increase in gestational weight gain (SMD: 0.17; 95%CI 0.03-0.29, p = 0.01). The positive effects were also observed on birth sizes, including birth weight (SMD:0.25; 95%CI 0.12-0.38, p < 0.001), birth length (SMD: 0.35; 95%CI 0.16-0.54, p < 0.001), and birth head circumference (SMD: 0.18; 95%CI 0.01-0.35). Sensitivity analysis revealed that, for some outcomes, significance was lost. Moreover, omega-3 supplementation was linked to reduced odds ratio for preterm birth significantly (OR: 0.83; 95%CI: 0.75-0.93, p = 0.003).

Conclusion: Omega-3 supplementation during pregnancy modestly improves maternal weight gain and infant birth size while reducing the risk of preterm birth, supporting its inclusion in maternal nutrition programs. These results reinforce the potential of omega-3 supplementation as a beneficial intervention to support maternal and neonatal health.

Background and aims: Africa has significant challenges in meeting its vaccination needs, including inadequate manufacturing capacity, infrastructure deficiencies, a scarcity of experienced personnel, regulatory hurdles, restricted access to technology and intellectual property. This review evaluates African vaccine manufacturing capacity, region-specific limitations, and highlights significant innovations and policy alternatives to promote vaccine autonomy and equitable public health results.

Methods: A comprehensive narrative evaluation of the literature was done. We obtained prior papers from WHO publications, CDC publications, Google Scholar, Elsevier, PubMed, and EBSCOhost. The assessment examines the current status and future prospects of vaccine manufacturing in Africa, emphasizing obstacles, innovations, and possibilities.

Results: Africa's vaccine manufacturing capacity is constrained by limited production infrastructure, a shortage of skilled personnel, and inadequate technical resources. These challenges are compounded by financial constraints, heavy reliance on donor support, and restricted access to technology transfer. In remote regions, regulatory fragmentation and weak cold chain infrastructure further hinder vaccine distribution. Promising innovations such as mRNA platforms, heat-stable formulations, and microarray patches offer potential breakthroughs, but progress in scaling up manufacturing remains slow despite international partnerships and funding support. To achieve vaccine self-sufficiency, Africa must strengthen its research ecosystem, build a skilled workforce, and expand domestic manufacturing capabilities.

Conclusion: Africa's vaccine manufacturing capacity is at an important phase, requiring coordinated efforts to overcome long-standing barriers. Investment in local vaccine facilities, skilled personnel development, and strong regulatory framework are essential. Strengthening international partnerships while fostering local innovations will lead to self-reliance. Emphasis on One Health approaches can enhance disease surveillance and control. Adequate funding and political will are indispensable for sustained progress.

Background and aims: Despite growing interest in the role of vitamin D in various infectious diseases, limited evidence exists regarding its association with platelet (PLT) parameters in patients with COVID-19 and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection. This study aims to assess the relationship between serum vitamin D levels and PLT indices in patients with COVID-19 and chronic HCV.

Methods: The study included 113 patients with confirmed COVID-19 and 97 patients with chronic HCV infection. All participants were classified into two subgroups based on their vitamin D status (deficient vs. non-deficient). The chi-square test (χ2) or Fisher exact test was used to compare the results between the two groups.

Results: Patients with COVID-19 had significantly lower levels of vitamin D compared with HCV patients (p < 0.001). PLT counts were lower in the COVID-19 group, and MPV, PDW, and inflammatory markers (PLR, MPR, and MLR) were significantly higher. Also, a significant negative correlation was observed between vitamin D levels and MPV in both groups (p < 0.001). In patients with vitamin D deficiency, PLT and inflammatory changes were more pronounced in COVID-19 than in HCV.

Conclusion: The results of this study showed that COVID-19 patients had lower vitamin D levels, lower PLT counts, and higher indices of platelet activation compared with HCV patients. These changes are associated with the severity of the inflammatory response in COVID-19 and could be part of the mechanisms that cause thrombotic complications in this disease.

Background and aims: This study aimed to test adaptability of the CULIG's questionnaire (CULIG-P) for assessment of medication regimen adherence among the Persian speaking patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: A standard forward and backward translation procedure was utilized to adapt first draft of the CULIG-P which was sent in the next stage to 15 experts for content and face validities' appraisal. The approved final draft of the CULIG-P was completed by the 304 recruited patients with type 2 diabetes. Cronbach's alpha and Kappa with Linear weighting were also estimated to check internal consistency and reliability of the scale. The structural validity of the CULIG-P was examined using exploratory factor analysis (EFA).

Results: The values of Cronbach's alpha (0.77) and weighted kappa coefficient for most of the scale's items were in acceptable range. Content Validity Index (CVI) and Content Validity Ratio (CVR) were also indicated reasonable construct of the CULIG-P for assessment of the reasons of medication regimen nonadherence among the study participants. The implemented factor analysis with varimax rotation extracted five factors which explained 41.81% of the data's total variance.

Conclusions: The findings revealed usability of the CULIG-P in studies and probably practice settings for assessment of medication regimen adherence/nonadherence in Persian-speaking type 2 diabetes patients.

Background and aims: Despite the prevalent reliance on traditional bonesetters (TBSs) in Kurdish societies, their role remains underexplored in scholarly research. This study aimed to evaluate patients' perceptions of TBSs and to investigate the determinants of their utilization over modern orthopedic care.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from August 20 to September 20, 2022, using purposive sampling. A structured questionnaire, adapted from prior studies and validated (Cronbach's α = 0.73), assessed sociodemographic characteristics, healthcare experiences, and perceptions. χ ² test and multivariate logistic regression analysis were applied to identify factors associated with perspectives toward TBSs.

Results: The study included 106 participants. The majority of participants were aged 18-45 (62%), 51.9% male, and 61.3% urban residents. Perceptions toward TBSs were 34.9% positive, 34.9% negative, and 30.2% neutral. The mean perception score was 4.80 ± 1.40, with 5 as the cutoff for neutral perception. Multivariate analysis revealed that disagreement with hospital staff attitudes (AOR = 0.04, 95% CI: 0.07-0.23, p < 0.001) and fear of hospital procedures (AOR = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.02-0.85, p = 0.033) were significant predictors of TBS preference, while financial constraints and cultural factors were not significant.

Conclusion: The continued reliance on TBSs in Northern Iraq highlights a critical gap in patient trust toward formal healthcare systems, particularly regarding hospital staff interactions and procedural concerns. Addressing hospital staff attitudes and improving patient confidence in modern medical procedures may help shift preferences toward evidence-based orthopedic care.

Background and aims: Educating couples about reproductive and sexual health is crucial for enhancing marital well-being, fostering healthy sexual relationships, and ultimately strengthening family bonds. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of reproductive and sexual health education on knowledge and attitudes of couples in premarital counseling classes.

Methods: This quasi-experimental controlled intervention study involved 200 people (100 couples) attending the General Health Service Center No. 8 in Rasht city. Forty eligible couples were selected using simple random sampling and randomly assigned to two groups: the intervention group (20 couples) and the control group (20 couples). Data were collected using a researcher-designed questionnaire comprising two sections: the first covered four demographic questions, while the second assessed couples' knowledge and attitudes toward reproductive and sexual health. The intervention group participated in a tailored reproductive and sexual health education program delivered five 60-min sessions. Questionnaires were administered before the intervention and 3 months afterward. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 24, employing descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, Mann-Whitney U test, and Wilcoxon tests with a significance level of p < 0.05.

Results: Demographic variables were homogeneous across both groups, with no statistically significant differences observed (p > 0.05). Prior to the intervention, there was no significant difference in the average knowledge and attitude scores between the intervention and control groups. However, following the educational program, the intervention group demonstrated a significant increase in these scores (p < 0.0001).

Conclusion: The findings underscore the effectiveness of premarital educational interventions in enhancing couples' knowledge and attitudes regarding reproductive and sexual health.

Background and aims: Child nutrition is crucial for a country's economic development. In Bangladesh, nearly half of the children under five suffer from malnutrition, with higher rates in rural areas. This study aims to identify factors linked to malnutrition in children in a rural area of the Mymensingh district, Bangladesh.

Methods: This cross-sectional study involved face-to-face interviews with 500 mothers using a questionnaire. Data were organized in an Excel spreadsheet for bivariate and multivariate analysis.

Results: We found that 27% of children were malnourished. Bivariate analysis (Chi-square test) showed that age, mode of delivery, intake of vitamin A capsules, and mothers' educational status significantly impacted malnutrition (p < 0.05). Multivariate binary logistic analysis using WHZ, HAZ, and WAZ scores revealed that male children were more prone to malnutrition than females, and mother's education played a major role in child nutrition. As children age, their susceptibility to malnutrition increases. Factors such as C-section delivery, timely intake of vitamin A capsules, family income, mother's employment status, and regular consumption of nutritional foods significantly influence child malnutrition.

Conclusion: The Bangladesh government must take proactive measures to address child malnutrition by prioritizing female education and well-being. Effective interventions can help eradicate malnutrition, improving children's health, education, and livelihoods.