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Fulltext Trends of Stunting Prevalence and Its Associated Factors among Nigerian Children Aged 0-59 Months Residing in the Northern Nigeria, 2008-2018

Ezeh OK, Abir T, Zainol NR, Al Mamun A, Milton AH, Haque MR, et al.

Nutrients, 2021 Nov 29;13(12).
PMID: 34959864 DOI: 10.3390/nu13124312

Every year in Nigeria, malnutrition contributes to more than 33% of the deaths of children below 5 years, and these deaths mostly occur in the northern geopolitical zones (NGZs), where nearly 50% of all children below 5 years are stunted. This study examined the trends in the prevalence of stunting and its associated factors among children aged 0-23 months, 24-59 months and 0-59 months in the NGZs. The data of 33,682 recent live births in the NGZs, extracted from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys from 2008 to 2018, were used to investigate the factors associated with stunting using multilevel logistic regression. Children aged 24-59 months reported the highest prevalence of stunting, with 53.3% (95% confidence interval: 52.0-54.6%). Multivariable analyses revealed four common factors that increased the odds of a child's stunting across all age subgroups: poor households, geopolitical zone (northwest or northeast), being a male and maternal height (<145 cm). Interventional strategies focused on poverty mitigation through cash transfer and educating low socioeconomic mothers on the benefits of gender-neutral supplementary feeding and the timely monitoring of the offspring of short mothers would substantially reduce stunting across all age subgroups in the NGZs.
Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh: Analysis of a Cross-Sectional Survey

Abir T, Osuagwu UL, Kalimullah NA, Yazdani DMN, Husain T, Basak P, et al.

Health Secur, 2021 08 03;19(5):468-478.
PMID: 34348050 DOI: 10.1089/hs.2020.0205

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated fear, panic, distress, anxiety, and depression among many people in Bangladesh. In this cross-sectional study, we examined factors associated with different levels of psychological impact as a result of COVID-19 in Bangladesh. From April 1 to 30, 2020, we used a self-administered online questionnaire to collect data from 10,609 respondents. Using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised to assess the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on respondents, we categorized the levels of impact as normal, mild, moderate, or severe. Ordinal logistic regression was used to examine the associated factors. The prevalence of mild, moderate, and severe psychological impact was 10.2%, 4.8%, and 45.5%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that the odds of reporting normal vs mild, moderate, or severe psychological impact were 5.9 times higher for people living in the Chittagong Division, 1.7 times higher for women with lower education levels, 3.0 times higher among those who were divorced or separated, 1.8 times higher for those working full time, and 2.4 times higher for those living in shared apartments. The odds of reporting a psychological impact were also higher among people who did not enforce protective measures inside the home, those in self-quarantine, those who did not wear face masks, and those who did not comply with World Health Organization precautionary measures. Increased psychological health risks due to COVID-19 were significantly higher among people who experienced chills, headache, cough, breathing difficulties, dizziness, and sore throat before data collection. Our results showed that 1 in 2 respondents experienced a significant psychological impact as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health researchers should consider these factors when targeting interventions that would have a protective effect on the individual's psychological health during a pandemic or future disease outbreak.
Fulltext Dengue in Dhaka, Bangladesh: Hospital-based cross-sectional KAP assessment at Dhaka North and Dhaka South City Corporation area

Abir T, Ekwudu O, Kalimullah NA, Nur-A Yazdani DM, Al Mamun A, Basak P, et al.

PLoS One, 2021;16(3):e0249135.
PMID: 33784366 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249135

Dengue, the most important mosquito-borne viral disease of humans is a recurring global health problem. In Bangladesh, dengue outbreaks are on the increase despite the efforts of government and it is not clear what the understanding of the general Dhaka population towards dengue fever is. Knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) studies are essential guides in public health interventions. Hence, using KAP, this study aims to assess patient-perspectives with regards to factors associated with dengue, as well as investigate the associated factors between the two corporations in Dhaka. A Hospital-based cross-sectional study of 242 fever patients from two city-corporations in Dhaka (Dhaka North City Corporations, DNCC (n = 91, 37.6%) and Dhaka South City Corporation, DSCC (n = 151, 62.4%) was conducted using pre-tested KAP items. Wilcoxon's Rank Sum was used to determine the KAP by DNCC, DSCC and both corporations and multivariate Poisson regression analyses. The two corporations were analysed separately due to the differences in income distribution, concentration of slums, hospitals and clinics. The study found that more than half of the study population were knowledgeable about dengue (mean percentage scores was 52%), possess an appropriate and acceptable attitude towards the disease (69.2%), and about two thirds of the respondents (71.4%) engaged in practices towards its prevention. After adjusting for the potential cofounders, the factors associated with KAP about dengue fever varied between DNCC and DSCC; with duration of residency and use of mosquito nets were associated with knowledge in the north while income class and age were associated with knowledge and attitude in the south. In the pooled analysis (combining both corporations), knowledge of dengue was associated with good practice towards dengue fever among the respondents. The duration of residence in Dhaka (10+ years), not using mosquito nets and length of time spent in the hospital (7+ days) due to dengue, and decreased knowledge (Adjusted coefficient (β) = -0.01, 95%CI: -0.02, -0.01) were associated with attitude towards dengue in DNCC. On the other hand, middle-high income class, age (40+ years) and increased knowledge were associated with practice towards dengue in DSCC (β = 0.02, 95%CI: 0.01, 0.03). Efforts to increase knowledge about dengue fever through education by the administrations of both corporations would benefit from targeting these high-risk groups for a more sustainable outcome.
Fulltext Prevalence and Factors Associated with Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh: A Survey-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Abir T, Kalimullah NA, Osuagwu UL, Nur-A Yazdani DM, Husain T, Goson PC, et al.

Ann Glob Health, 2021 04 26;87(1):43.
PMID: 33981590 DOI: 10.5334/aogh.3269

Background: Feelings of isolation, insecurity, and instability triggered by COVID-19 could have a long-term impact on the mental health status of individuals.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of mental health symptoms (anxiety, depression, and stress) in Bangladesh and the factors associated with these symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: From 1 to 30 April 2020, we used a validated self-administered questionnaire to conduct a cross-sectional study on 10,609 participants through an online survey platform. We assessed mental health status using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). The total depression, anxiety, and stress subscale scores were divided into normal, mild, moderate, severe, and multinomial logistic regression was used to examine associated factors.
Findings: The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 15%, 34%, and 15% for mild, moderate, and severe depressive symptoms, respectively. The prevalence of anxiety symptoms was 59% for severe anxiety symptoms, 14% for moderate anxiety symptoms, and 14% for mild anxiety symptoms, while the prevalence for stress levels were 16% for severe stress level, 22% for moderate stress level, and 13% for mild stress level. Multivariate analyses revealed that the most consistent factors associated with mild, moderate, and severe of the three mental health subscales (depression, anxiety, and stress) were respondents who lived in Dhaka and Rangpur division, females, those who self-quarantined in the previous seven days before the survey, and those respondents who experienced chills, breathing difficulty, dizziness, and sore throat.
Conclusion: Our results showed that about 64%, 87%, and 61% of the respondents in Bangladesh reported high levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. There is a need for mental health support targeting women and those who self-quarantined or lived in Dhaka and Rangpur during the pandemic.