Antenatal care is associated with adherence to iron supplementation among pregnant women in selected low-middle-income-countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America & the Caribbean regions: Insights from Demographic and Health Surveys.

Anaemia is a global public health problem affecting 800 million women and children globally. Anaemia is associated with perinatal mortality, child morbidity and mortality, mental development, immune competence, susceptibility to lead poisoning and performance at work. The objective of this article is to identify whether antenatal care-seeking was associated with the uptake of iron supplementation among pregnant women, adjusting for a range of covariates. This article used data from the cross-sectional recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) of 12 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America & the Caribbean regions. The individual-level data from 273,144 women of reproductive age (15-49 years) were analysed from multi-country DHS. Multiple Logistic regression analyses were conducted using Predictive Analytics Software for Windows (PASW), Release 18.0. Receiving at least four antenatal care visits was significantly associated with the consumption of 90 or more iron-containing supplements in 12 low and middle income countries across three regions after adjusting for different household and respondent characteristics, while mass media exposure was found to be a significant predictor in India and Indonesia. Antenatal care seems to be the most important predictor of adherence to iron intake in the selected countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and Caribbean regions.

Associations of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices toward Anemia with Anemia Prevalence and Height-for-Age Z-Score among Indonesian Adolescent Girls.

BACKGROUND: Crucial gaps persist in knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of adolescent girls that affect anemia and linear growth failure. OBJECTIVE: To understand the role of KAP as a risk factor of anemia and linear growth problem in adolescent girls. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 335 adolescent girls selected by clustered random sampling. The KAP questionnaire had 18 variables consisting of 9 knowledge, 3 attitude, and 6 practice components. Twelve variables addressed nutrition, dietary diversity, and health environments related to both anemia and stunting. The questionnaire was adapted from the 2014 Food and Agriculture Organization nutrition-related KAP guidelines for anemia. Dietary practice was evaluated from 2-day 24-hour recalls and a semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire. Associations between KAP and anemia, and height-for-age z-score (HAZ), were analyzed using multivariate logistic and linear regression models, respectively. RESULTS: The mean hemoglobin (Hb) level was 119.7 g/L, with 44% of the adolescent girls being anemic (Hb < 120 g/L) and mean height was 151.0 cm with 25% being stunted (HAZ < -2 standard deviation [SD]). The median KAP score was 7 and ranged from 3 to 10. Low to moderate KAP scores were not significantly associated with being anemic (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.26; P = .43), however 1-point KAP score increment was associated with an increase of HAZ by 0.037 SD (P = .012). CONCLUSIONS: The KAP related to diet and healthy environments was not associated with anemia prevalence, but was positively associated with increased HAZ among adolescent girls. Strategy to reduce anemia risk in this population should combine KAP improvement with other known effective nutrition interventions.

Specific considerations for research on the effectiveness of multisectoral collaboration: methods and lessons from 12 country case studies.

BACKGROUND: The success of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is predicated on multisectoral collaboration (MSC), and the COVID-19 pandemic makes it more urgent to learn how this can be done better. Complex challenges facing countries, such as COVID-19, cut across health, education, environment, financial and other sectors. Addressing these challenges requires the range of responsible sectors and intersecting services - across health, education, social and financial protection, economic development, law enforcement, among others - transform the way they work together towards shared goals. While the necessity of MSC is recognized, research is needed to understand how sectors collaborate, inform how to do so more efficiently, effectively and equitably, and ascertain similarities and differences across contexts. To answer these questions and inform practice, research to strengthen the evidence-base on MSC is critical. METHODS: This paper draws on a 12-country study series on MSC for health and sustainable development, in the context of the health and rights of women, children and adolescents. It is written by core members of the research coordination and country teams. Issues were analyzed during the study period through 'real-time' discussions and structured reporting, as well as through literature reviews and retrospective feedback and analysis at the end of the study. RESULTS: We identify four considerations that are unique to MSC research which will be of interest to other researchers, in the context of COVID-19 and beyond: 1) use theoretical frameworks to frame research questions as relevant to all sectors and to facilitate theoretical generalizability and evolution; 2) specifically incorporate sectoral analysis into MSC research methods; 3) develop a core set of research questions, using mixed methods and contextual adaptations as needed, with agreement on criteria for research rigor; and 4) identify shared indicators of success and failure across sectors to assess MSCs. CONCLUSION: In responding to COVID-19 it is evident that effective MSC is an urgent priority. It enables partners from diverse sectors to effectively convene to do more together than alone. Our findings have practical relevance for achieving this objective and contribute to the growing literature on partnerships and collaboration. We must seize the opportunity here to identify remaining knowledge gaps on how diverse sectors can work together efficiently and effectively in different settings to accelerate progress towards achieving shared goals.