BackgroundNutrition is the intake of food in relation to the body's dietary needs. Malnutrition results from the intake of inadequate or excess food. This can lead to reduced immunity, increased susceptibility to disease, impaired physical and mental development, and reduced productivity.ObjectiveTo perform a systematic review to assess research conducted by the International Network for the Demographic Evaluation of Populations and their Health (INDEPTH) of health and demographic surveillance systems (HDSSs) over a 15-year period on malnutrition, its determinants, the effects of under and over nutrition, and intervention research on malnutrition in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).MethodsRelevant publication titles were uploaded onto the Zotero research tool from different databases (60% from PubMed). Using the keywords ‘nutrition’, ‘malnutrition’, ‘over and under nutrition’, we selected publications that were based only on data generated through the longitudinal HDSS platform. All titles and abstracts were screened to determine inclusion eligibility and full articles were independently assessed according to inclusion/exclusion criteria. For inclusion in this study, papers had to cover research on at least one of the following topics: the problem of malnutrition, its determinants, its effects, and intervention research on malnutrition. One hundred and forty eight papers were identified and reviewed, and 67 were selected for this study.ResultsThe INDEPTH research identified rising levels of overweight and obesity, sometimes in the same settings as under-nutrition. Urbanisation appears to be protective against under-nutrition, but it heightens the risk of obesity. Appropriately timed breastfeeding interventions were protective against malnutrition.ConclusionsAlthough INDEPTH has expanded the global knowledge base on nutrition, many questions remain unresolved. There is a need for more investment in nutrition research in LMICs in order to generate evidence to inform policies in these settings.
a b s t r a c tAim: To present a systematic review that evaluates the contributions of the INDEPTH Network of health and demographic surveillance systems (HDSSs) to research efforts on prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS in low-and middle-income countries. Methods: Publication titles were sent to INDEPTH by member centres. These were uploaded onto the Zotero research tool from different databases (most from PubMed). We searched for publications using the keyword "HIV" and the publication date. The 540 relevant papers were all published in peer-reviewed English language journals between 1999 and 2012. For a paper to be included in this study it must have extensively tackled the issue of HIV (1), prevention (2) and challenges associated with the treatment. After a thorough review, 89 papers were finally selected. Results: Consistent condom use has been found to be highly protective against HIV infection. Although women feel at risk of contracting HIV from their partners and many women knew about condoms, they were unable to use them due to the partner's refusal. Infection with STDs is associated with HIV infection, populations with high rates of STDs and high-risk sexual behaviour, interventions to treat STDs can help prevent HIV transmission. The study also found that mother-to-child transmission was 2.7 times higher in infants breastfed for more than six months than in those breastfed for less than six months. The study found that the most promising prevention intervention discovered so far is male circumcision. Conclusion: INDEPTH member centres have tracked the course of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. They have analysed how the virus is transmitted and how it impacts families, communities and economies. Prevention and treatment policies and technologies have also come under scrutiny, including prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, male circumcision, behaviour change polices, antiretroviral treatment and other key interventions. The robust and extensive data HDSSs have generated provide critical insights to policy-makers as the epidemic moves into its fourth decade.
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