The assessment of pregnant women's knowledge about modes of infections transmission is essential to tailor programs to their needs. This study aimed to assess knowledge about human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) among pregnant women in Nampula - Mozambique, a high-risk area for sexually transmitted infections. At their first antenatal visit, women were invited to participate and data were collected by trained nurses at six public health facilities. Knowledge about HIV transmission modes was high but relevant misconceptions remained. However, knowledge regarding HBV and HCV transmission modes was very limited. There was a significant association between knowledge level and socioeconomic position, making education and women's empowerment key factors in a comprehensive strategy to prevent infections.
Background The need for evidence-based decision-making in the health sector is well understood in the global health community. Yet, gaps persist between the availability of evidence and the use of that evidence. Most research on evidence-based decision-making has been carried out in higher-income countries, and most studies look at policy-making rather than decision-making more broadly. We conducted this study to address these gaps and to identify challenges and facilitators to evidence-based decision-making in Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and Nutrition (MNCH&N) at the municipality, district, and national levels in Mozambique. Methods We used a case study design to capture the experiences of decision-makers and analysts (n = 24) who participated in evidence-based decision-making processes related to health policies and interventions to improve MNCH&N in diverse decision-making contexts (district, municipality, and national levels) in 2014–2017, in Mozambique. We examined six case studies, at the national level, in Maputo City and in two districts of Sofala Province and two of Zambézia Province, using individual in-depth interviews with key informants and a document review, for three weeks, in July 2018. Results Our analysis highlighted various challenges for evidence-based decision-making for MNCH&N, at national, district, and municipality levels in Mozambique, including limited demand for evidence, limited capacity to use evidence, and lack of trust in the available evidence. By contrast, access to evidence, and availability of evidence were viewed positively and seen as potential facilitators. Organizational capacity for the demand and use of evidence appears to be the greatest challenge; while individual capacity is also a barrier. Conclusion Evidence-based decision-making requires that actors have access to evidence and are empowered to act on that evidence. This, in turn, requires alignment between those who collect data, those who analyze and interpret data, and those who make and implement decisions. Investments in individual, organizational, and systems capacity to use evidence are needed to foster practices of evidence-based decision-making for improved maternal and child health in Mozambique.
The aim was to estimate the prevalence of sexual and physical intimate partner violence (IPV) and its associated factors, in a sample of pregnant women using antenatal care (ANC) in Nampula province - Mozambique. This cross-sectional study was carried out in six health units in Nampula, from February 2013 to January 2014. Overall, 869 participants answered the Conflict Tactics Scale 2. The lifetime and past year prevalence of sexual abuse was 49% and 46%, and of physical abuse was 46% and 44%, respectively. Lifetime and past year sexual abuse was significantly associated with living as a couple, alcohol drinking and having a past diagnosis of gonorrhea. Lifetime and past year physical abuse increased significantly with age and was associated with living as a couple, alcohol drinking and history with syphilis. The prevalence of lifetime and previous year violence among women using ANC was high and similar showing that most women were constantly exposed to IPV. ANC provides a window of opportunity for identifying and acting on violence against women.
He is currently a lecturer in the Department of Bioscience (graded 5 in the recent National Research exercise) at the University of Strathclyde. He has authored or coauthored 25 research papers that have appeared in internationally-assessed Journals. His current research interests encompass the fields of Biomedical and Food Microbiology, including studies on the detection of microbial pathogens in foods for susceptible groups, the virulence properties of food-borne pathogens, and on resources that can be used to control the occurrence and transmission of foodborne pathogens. He has carried out considerable research in the area of Food Mycology, particularly studies on the axenic culture and growth of exotic mushrooms. He is married to Michelle and has a daughter and a son.
There is a tremendous complexity of the human gut microbiota in both health and disease states and a healthy microbiota consists of an interdependent network of microbes rather than a particular bacterial genera. The microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract is a symbiotic partner of the host as it is crucial for maintaining homeostasis and multiple components of the host immune system. Numerous host factors influence the composition of the microbiota early in life including diet, hygiene, environmental contacts, antibiotic use, and breastfeeding. Although the content of any diet can effect bacterial composition, it cannot be suggested that diet alone is responsible for the diversity of the microbiota or its variation among individuals. The intestinal physical-chemical barrier forms part of the intestinal immune system and plays a critical role in determining the composition of the microbiota. There are multiple recognised clinical uses of mushrooms due to their content in β-glucans, important antioxidant and cytoprotective enzymes, secondary metabolites and still other unknown factors. Mushroom β-glucans have been proposed to act as "biological response modifiers" based on their effects on the immune system, enhancing the body's own use of macrophages and T-lymphocytes, rather than directly attacking any tumours, controlling oxidative stress and inflammation.
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