Global Health Action最新文献

{"title":"The contextual awareness, response and evaluation (CARE) diabetes project: study design for a quantitative survey of diabetes prevalence and non-communicable disease risk in Ga Mashie, Accra, Ghana.","authors":"Swaib Abubaker Lule, Sandra Boatemaa Kushitor, Carlos S Grijalva-Eternod, Kafui Adjaye-Gbewonyo, Olutobi Adekunle Sanuade, Mawuli Komla Kushitor, Lydia Okoibhole, Raphael Awuah, Leonard Baatiema, Irene Akwo Kretchy, Daniel Arhinful, Ama de-Graft Aikins, Kwadwo Koram, Edward Fottrell","doi":"10.1080/16549716.2023.2297513","DOIUrl":"10.1080/16549716.2023.2297513","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Diabetes is estimated to affect between 3.3% and 8.3% of adults in Ghana, and prevalence is expected to rise. The lack of cost-effective diabetes prevention programmes designed specifically for the Ghanaian population warrants urgent attention. The Contextual Awareness, Response and Evaluation (CARE): Diabetes Project in Ghana is a mixed methods study that aims to understand diabetes in the Ga Mashie area of Accra, identify opportunities for community-based intervention and inform future diabetes prevention and control strategies. This paper presents the study design for the quantitative survey within the CARE project. This survey will take place in the densely populated Ga Mashie area of Accra, Ghana. A household survey will be conducted using simple random sampling to select households from 80 enumeration areas identified in the 2021 Ghana Population and Housing Census. Trained enumerators will interview and collect data from permanent residents aged ≥ 25 years. Pregnant women and those who have given birth in the last six months will be excluded. Data analysis will use a combination of descriptive and inferential statistics, and all analyses will account for the cluster sampling design. Analyses will describe the prevalence of diabetes, other morbidities, and associated risk factors and identify the relationship between diabetes and physical, social, and behavioural parameters. This survey will generate evidence on drivers and consequences of diabetes and facilitate efforts to prevent and control diabetes and other NCDs in urban Ghana, with relevance for other low-income communities.</p>","PeriodicalId":49197,"journal":{"name":"Global Health Action","volume":"17 1","pages":"2297513"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10851827/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139698649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Financial inclusion for people with disability: a scoping review.","authors":"Louise Puli, Natasha Layton, Diane Bell, Abu Zafar Shahriar","doi":"10.1080/16549716.2024.2342634","DOIUrl":"10.1080/16549716.2024.2342634","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Financial exclusion is a human rights issue affecting health equity. Evidence demonstrates that financial exclusion is exacerbated for people with disability and those in low- to middle-income countries (LMIC). Barriers to financial access include limited demand for services, banking inadequacies in catering to people with disability, and insufficiently accessible information technologies (ICT) and infrastructure.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This scoping review sought to identify barriers to and facilitators of financial inclusion for people with disability in LMIC. As a secondary objective, the study explored the potential of financial education and ICT utilisation as viable strategies for enhancing financial inclusion.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This review utilised the Arksey and O'Malley framework and PRISMA Checklist for systematic literature examination and data extraction. The WHO's Environmental Factors guided the analysis to propose potential interventions and to generate recommendations.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The review analysed 26 publications from various global regions and fields including finance, business, technology, health and disability policy. It identified consistent financial inclusion barriers for people with disability, resulting in a set of global recommendations across attitudes, environment, technology, services, and policy.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Recommendations include using ICT, digital innovation and multi-stakeholder collaboration to address the financial barriers experienced by people with disability. These efforts, rooted in social justice, aim to include people with disability in LMIC as valued financial sector participants, promoting health and equity.</p>","PeriodicalId":49197,"journal":{"name":"Global Health Action","volume":"17 1","pages":"2342634"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11089913/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140899940","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Challenges and possible improvements for healthcare teams at outreach clinics in Nepal - a qualitative study.","authors":"Ingrid Eriksen, Eirin Helene Rasmussen, Biraj Karmacharya, Seema Das, Elisabeth Darj, Maria Lisa Odland","doi":"10.1080/16549716.2024.2385177","DOIUrl":"10.1080/16549716.2024.2385177","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>All Nepalese citizens have the right to high-quality healthcare services free of charge. To achieve this, healthcare services for the rural population in Nepal need to be improved in terms of personnel, medicines, and medical equipment.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To explore challenges and possible improvements healthcare personnel experience when travelling to rural parts of Nepal to provide healthcare.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Data was collected from various health professionals using focus group discussions at Dhulikhel Hospital in Nepal. The data were transcribed and analysed using Systematic text condensation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twenty-two professional healthcare personnel participated in five group discussions. Four categories emerged from the collected material: Finding ORC services being underutilised, Wanting to fulfil tasks and do a good job, Facing inadequate resources, and Seeing the need for improved organisation and cooperation. There was consensus that rural clinics are important to maintaining health for the rural population of Nepal. However, there was frustration that the rural population was not benefitting from all available healthcare services due to underutilisation.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Rural healthcare clinics are not utilised appropriately, according to healthcare workers at the rural outreach clinics. Potential ways of overcoming the perceived challenges of underutilising available healthcare services include financial and human resources. The rural population´s health awareness needs to be increased, and the work environment for rural healthcare workers needs to be improved. These issues need to be prioritised by the government and policymakers.</p>","PeriodicalId":49197,"journal":{"name":"Global Health Action","volume":"17 1","pages":"2385177"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11308952/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141898704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on type 2 diabetes care and factors associated with care disruption in Kenya and Tanzania.","authors":"Richard E Sanya, Caroline H Karugu, Peter Binyaruka, Shukri F Mohamed, Lyagamula Kisia, Peter Kibe, Irene Mashasi, Grace Mhalu, Christopher Bunn, Manuela Deidda, Frances S Mair, Eleanor Grieve, Cindy M Gray, Sally Mtenga, Gershim Asiki","doi":"10.1080/16549716.2024.2345970","DOIUrl":"10.1080/16549716.2024.2345970","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The COVID-19 pandemic affected healthcare delivery globally, impacting care access and delivery of essential services.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>We investigated the pandemic's impact on care for patients with type 2 diabetes and factors associated with care disruption in Kenya and Tanzania.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted among adults diagnosed with diabetes pre-COVID-19. Data were collected in February-April 2022 reflecting experiences at two time-points, three months before and the three months most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. A questionnaire captured data on blood glucose testing, changes in medication prescription and access, and healthcare provider access.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We recruited 1000 participants (500/country). Diabetes care was disrupted in both countries, with 34.8% and 32.8% of the participants reporting change in place and frequency of testing in Kenya, respectively. In Tanzania, 12.4% and 17.8% reported changes in location and frequency of glucose testing, respectively. The number of health facility visits declined, 14.4% (<i>p</i> < 0.001) in Kenya and 5.6% (<i>p</i> = 0.001) in Tanzania. In Kenya, there was a higher likelihood of severe care disruption among insured patients (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.56, 95% confidence interval [CI][1.05-2.34]; <i>p</i> = 0.029) and a lower likelihood among patients residing in rural areas (aOR, 0.35[95%CI, 0.22-0.58]; <i>p</i> < 0.001). Tanzania had a lower likelihood of severe disruption among insured patients (aOR, 0.51[95%CI, 0.33-0.79]; <i>p</i> = 0.003) but higher likelihood among patients with low economic status (aOR, 1.81[95%CI, 1.14-2.88]; <i>p</i> = 0.011).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>COVID-19 disrupted diabetes care more in Kenya than Tanzania. Health systems and emergency preparedness should be strengthened to ensure continuity of service provision for patients with diabetes.</p>","PeriodicalId":49197,"journal":{"name":"Global Health Action","volume":"17 1","pages":"2345970"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11123500/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141077045","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Distances to emergency departments and non-urgent utilization of medical services: a systematic review.","authors":"Uma Kelekar, Debasree Das Gupta, Nicole Theis-Mahon, Emily Fashingbauer, Boyen Huang","doi":"10.1080/16549716.2024.2353994","DOIUrl":"10.1080/16549716.2024.2353994","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The use of Emergency Departments (EDs) for non-urgent medical conditions is a global public health concern.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>A systematic review, guided by a registered protocol (PROSPERO: CRD42023398674), was conducted to interpret the association between distance as a measure of healthcare access and the utilization of EDs for non-urgent care in high- and middle-income countries.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The search was conducted on 22 August 2023 across five databases using controlled vocabulary and natural language keywords. Eligibility criteria included studies that examined non-urgent care, and featured concepts of emergency departments, non-urgent health services and distance, reported in English. Articles and abstracts where patients were transported by ambulance/paramedic services, referred/transferred from another hospital to an ED, or those that measured distance to an ED from another health facility were excluded. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) framework informed the quality of evidence.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Fifteen articles met the inclusion criteria. All studies demonstrated satisfactory quality with regard to study design, conduct, analysis and presentation of results. Eight (53.3%) of the studies (1 paediatric, 4 all ages/adult, 3 ecological) found a moderate level of evidence of an inverse association between distance and ED visit volume or utilization for non-urgent medical conditions, while the remaining studies reported very low or low evidence.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Half of the studies reported non-urgent ED use to be associated with shortest distance traveled or transportation time. This finding bears implications for healthcare policies aiming to reduce ED use for non-urgent care.</p>","PeriodicalId":49197,"journal":{"name":"Global Health Action","volume":"17 1","pages":"2353994"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11149577/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141200957","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Quality and resilience of clinical laboratories in Rwanda: a need for sustainable strategies.","authors":"Vincent Rusanganwa, Innocent Nzabahimana, Magnus Evander","doi":"10.1080/16549716.2024.2358633","DOIUrl":"10.1080/16549716.2024.2358633","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Quality healthcare is a global priority, reliant on robust health systems for evidence-based medicine. Clinical laboratories are the backbone of quality healthcare facilitating diagnostics, treatment, patient monitoring, and disease surveillance. Their effectiveness depends on sustainable delivery of accurate test results. Although the Strengthening Laboratory Management Towards Accreditation (SLMTA) programme has enhanced laboratory quality in low-income countries, the long-term sustainability of this improvement remains uncertain.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To explore the sustainability of quality performance in clinical laboratories in Rwanda following the conclusion of SLMTA.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A quasi-experimental design was adopted, involving 47 laboratories divided into three groups with distinct interventions. While one group received continuous mentorship and annual assessments (group two), interventions for the other groups (groups one and three) ceased following the conclusion of SLMTA. SLMTA experts collected data for 10 years through assessments using WHO's StepwiseLaboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) checklist. Descriptive and t-test analyses were conducted for statistical evaluation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Improvements in quality were noted between baseline and exit assessments across all laboratory groups (mean baseline: 35.3%, exit: 65.8%, <i>p</i> < 0.001). However, groups one and three experienced performance declines following SLMTA phase-out (mean group one: 64.6% in reference to 85.8%, <i>p</i> = 0.01; mean group three: 57.3% in reference to 64.7%, <i>p</i> < 0.001). In contrast, group two continued to enhance performance even years later (mean: 86.6%compared to 70.6%, <i>p</i> = 0.03).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>A coordinated implementation of quality improvement plan that enables regular laboratory assessments to pinpoint and address the quality gaps is essential for sustaining quality services in clinical laboratories.</p>","PeriodicalId":49197,"journal":{"name":"Global Health Action","volume":"17 1","pages":"2358633"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11149573/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141201023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Starting then stopping: a nationwide register-based study on the magnitude, predictors, and urban-rural patterns of under-vaccination variation across health centers in The Gambia.","authors":"Alieu Sowe, Fredinah Namatovu, Bai Cham, Per E Gustafsson","doi":"10.1080/16549716.2024.2348788","DOIUrl":"10.1080/16549716.2024.2348788","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Six million children were under-vaccinated in 2022. Our study aimed to 1) quantify the magnitude of under-vaccination variation between health facilities, 2) assess to which extent individual and health center level factors contributed to the variation, 3) identify individual and health facility factors associated with under-vaccination, and 4), explore rural vs. urban health facility variations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used data from 61,839 children from The Gambia national routine vaccination register. We cross tabulated under-vaccination status across study variables and fitted two-level random intercept multilevel logistic regression models to measure variance, contribution to the variance, and factors associated with the variance and under-vaccination.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We found that 7% of the prevalence of under-vaccination was due to variation between health facilities. Thirty-seven percent of the variation was explained by individual and health center variables. The variables explained 36% of the variance in urban and 19% in rural areas. Children who were not vaccinated at 4 months or with delayed history, due for vaccination in the rainy season, and health facilities with very small or large population to health worker ratios had higher under-vaccination odds.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our study indicates that one of the pathways to improving vaccination coverage is addressing factors driving under-vaccination inequities between health facilities through urban-rural differentiated strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":49197,"journal":{"name":"Global Health Action","volume":"17 1","pages":"2348788"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11149585/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141201038","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"\"When you provide abortion services, you are looked upon as a bad guy\": experiences of abortion stigma by health providers in Nigeria.","authors":"Friday Okonofua, Lorretta Ntoimo, Louise Bury, Suzanna Bright, Lesley Hoggart","doi":"10.1080/16549716.2024.2401849","DOIUrl":"10.1080/16549716.2024.2401849","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Abortion stigma as reported globally has been inadequately documented empirically in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with a restrictive abortion law and a high rate of unsafe abortions.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>The objectives of this study were to investigate the ways in which abortion stigma is experienced by Nigerian health professionals and how such experiences influence health professionals' practice of safe abortion and post-abortion care.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study utilized qualitative research consisting of in-depth interviews with 10 abortion providers. We elicited information with an open-ended interview guide that investigated the understanding of participants' experiences of abortion stigma in Nigeria. The data were analysed qualitatively and thematically using Atlas.ti.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The themes centred on perceptions and experiences of stigma among the providers interviewed. Participants' experiences of abortion stigma included the following: being treated differently to other health professionals; experiencing disapproval and disrespect; name-calling and societal judgement; tagging and profiling of clinics by anti-abortionists; and social isolation. Participants attributed stigma to cultural and religious beliefs, the restrictive national abortion law, and pointed to hypocrisy. Some reported effects of stigma on providers included a feeling of insecurity, social exclusion, secrecy, and insincerity in clinical practice, discouragement, and guilt feelings. Despite the negative impacts, many respondents reported a sense of satisfaction stemming from their views that they were saving lives.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Systematic efforts to address these adverse factors could reduce the level of stigma experienced by providers, with a potential follow-through effect of improving women's access to safe abortion care in Nigeria.</p>","PeriodicalId":49197,"journal":{"name":"Global Health Action","volume":"17 1","pages":"2401849"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11533241/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142548531","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spiritual intelligence: a scoping review on the gateway to mental health.","authors":"Cristina Teixeira Pinto, Lúcia Guedes, Sara Pinto, Rui Nunes","doi":"10.1080/16549716.2024.2362310","DOIUrl":"10.1080/16549716.2024.2362310","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Spiritual Intelligence (SI) is an independent concept from spirituality, a unifying and integrative intelligence that can be trained and developed, allowing people to make use of spirituality to enhance daily interaction and problem solving in a sort of spirituality into action. To comprehensively map and analyze current knowledge on SI and understand its impact on mental health and human interactions, we conducted a scoping review following the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology, searching for 'spiritual intelligence' across PubMedCentral, Scopus, WebOfScience, and PsycInfo. Quantitative studies using validated SI instruments and reproducible methodologies, published up to 1 January 2022, were included. Selected references were independently assessed by two reviewers, with any disagreements resolved by a third reviewer. Data were extracted using a data extraction tool previously developed and piloted. From this search, a total of 69 manuscripts from 67 studies were included. Most studies (<i>n</i> = 48) were conducted in educational (<i>n</i> = 29) and healthcare (<i>n</i> = 19) settings, with the Spiritual Intelligence Self Report Inventory (SISRI-24) emerging as the predominant instrument for assessing SI (<i>n</i> = 39). Analysis revealed several notable correlations with SI: resilience (<i>n</i> = 7), general, mental, and spiritual health (<i>n</i> = 6), emotional intelligence (<i>n</i> = 5), and favorable social behaviors and communication strategies (<i>n</i> = 5). Conversely, negative correlations were observed with burnout and stress (<i>n</i> = 5), as well as depression and anxiety (<i>n</i> = 5). These findings prompt a discussion regarding the integration of the SI concept into a revised definition of health by the World Health Organization and underscore the significance of SI training as a preventative health measure.</p>","PeriodicalId":49197,"journal":{"name":"Global Health Action","volume":"17 1","pages":"2362310"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11195480/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141433212","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Maternal betel quid use during pregnancy and child growth: a cohort study from rural Bangladesh.","authors":"Mohammad Redwanul Islam, Shaki Aktar, Jesmin Pervin, Syed Moshfiqur Rahman, Monjur Rahman, Anisur Rahman, Eva-Charlotte Ekström","doi":"10.1080/16549716.2024.2375829","DOIUrl":"10.1080/16549716.2024.2375829","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Chewing betel quid (BQ) - a preparation commonly containing areca nut and slaked lime wrapped in betel leaf - is entrenched in South Asia. Although BQ consumption during pregnancy has been linked to adverse birth outcomes, its effect on postnatal growth remains largely unexplored.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>We examined the associations of BQ use during pregnancy with children's height-for-age and body mass index-for-age z-scores (HAZ and BAZ, respectively) and fat and fat-free mass along with sex-based differences in association in rural Bangladesh.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>With a prospective cohort design, we assessed BQ use among mothers enrolled in the Preterm and Stillbirth Study, Matlab (<i>n</i> = 3140) with a structured questionnaire around early third trimester. Children born to a subset of 614 women (including 134 daily users) were invited to follow-up between October 2021 and January 2022. HAZ and BAZ were calculated from anthropometric assessment, and fat and fat-free mass were estimated using bioelectric impedance. Overall and sex-specific multiple linear regression models were fitted.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Growth data were available for 501 children (mean age 4.9 years): 43.3% of them were born to non-users, 35.3% to those using prior to or less-than-daily during the survey, and 21.3% to daily users. No statistically significant associations were observed after adjusting for sex, parity, maternal height and education, and household wealth.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>There was no effect of BQ use during pregnancy on postnatal growth in this study. Longitudinal studies following up those born to heavy users beyond childhood are warranted for capturing long-term implications of prenatal BQ exposure.</p>","PeriodicalId":49197,"journal":{"name":"Global Health Action","volume":"17 1","pages":"2375829"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11234907/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141560145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}