Health In Low-resource Settings Research Articles

Advancing education-based mental health in low-resource settings during health crises: the mental health initiative of the University of the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic

Advancing education-based mental health in low-resource settings during health crises: the mental health initiative of the University of the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic

Influence of hydrometeorological risk factors on child diarrhea and enteropathogens in rural Bangladesh.

A number of studies have detected relationships between weather and diarrhea. Few have investigated associations with specific enteric pathogens. Understanding pathogen-specific relationships with weather is crucial to inform public health in low-resource settings that are especially vulnerable to climate change. Our objectives were to identify weather and environmental risk factors associated with diarrhea and enteropathogen prevalence in young children in rural Bangladesh, a population with high diarrheal disease burden and vulnerability to weather shifts under climate change. We matched temperature, precipitation, surface water, and humidity data to observational longitudinal data from a cluster-randomized trial that measured diarrhea and enteropathogen prevalence in children 6 months-5.5 years from 2012-2016. We fit generalized additive mixed models with cubic regression splines and restricted maximum likelihood estimation for smoothing parameters. Comparing weeks with 30°C versus 15°C average temperature, prevalence was 3.5% higher for diarrhea, 7.3% higher for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), 17.3% higher for enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), and 8.0% higher for Cryptosporidium. Above-median weekly precipitation (median: 13mm; range: 0-396mm) was associated with 29% higher diarrhea (adjusted prevalence ratio 1.29, 95% CI 1.07, 1.55); higher Cryptosporidium, ETEC, STEC, Shigella, Campylobacter, Aeromonas, and adenovirus 40/41; and lower Giardia, sapovirus, and norovirus prevalence. Other associations were weak or null. Higher temperatures and precipitation were associated with higher prevalence of diarrhea and multiple enteropathogens; higher precipitation was associated with lower prevalence of some enteric viruses. Our findings emphasize the heterogeneity of the relationships between hydrometeorological variables and specific enteropathogens, which can be masked when looking at composite measures like all-cause diarrhea. Our results suggest that preventive interventions targeted to reduce enteropathogens just before and during the rainy season may more effectively reduce child diarrhea and enteric pathogen carriage in rural Bangladesh and in settings with similar meteorological characteristics, infrastructure, and enteropathogen transmission.

Impacts of Environmental Factors on Maternal Health in Low Resource Settings.

Impacts of Environmental Factors on Maternal Health in Low Resource Settings.

Peer Support in the Management of Diabetes to Improve Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs).

Diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) contribute to significant morbidity and mortality in low-resource settings. Living with diabetes can be overwhelming, isolating, and exhausting, even in settings of resource availability and health care access, while the psychosocial burden of living with diabetes and CVD can be exacerbated by an increased burden of social determinants of health in low-resource settings. Diabetes and CVD care heavily rely on self-management, and health care professionals are now recognizing the importance of peer support in supporting healthy behaviors, psychosocial well-being, and improved clinical outcomes. However, there is currently a lack of consistency in how peer support programs are defined, implemented, and evaluated.

Task-Shifting: Can Community Health Workers Be Part of the Solution to an Inactive Nation?

Background: In low-to-middle income countries (LMICs), there is a growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) placing strain on the facilities and human resources of healthcare systems. Prevention strategies that include lifestyle behavior counseling have become increasingly important. We propose a potential solution to the growing burden of NCDs through an expansion of the role for community health workers (CHWs) in prescribing and promoting physical activity in public health settings. This discussion paper provides a theoretical model for task-shifting of assessment, screening, counseling, and prescription of physical activity to CHWs. Five proposed tasks are presented within a larger model of service delivery and provide a platform for a structured, standardized, physical activity prevention strategy aimed at NCDs using CHWs as an integral part of reducing the burden of NCDs in LMICs. However, for effective implementation as part of national NCD plans, it is essential that CHWs received standardized, ongoing training and supervision on physical activity and other lifestyle behaviors to optimally impact community health in low resource settings.

Trends in maternal mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic-evidence from Zambia.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased social and emotional stressors globally, increasing mental health concerns and the risk of psychiatric illness worldwide. To date, relatively little is known about the impact of the pandemic on vulnerable groups such as women and children in low-resourced settings who generally have limited access to mental health care. We explore two rounds of data collected as part of an ongoing trial of early childhood development to assess mental health distress among mothers of children under 5-years-old living in two rural areas of Zambia during the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined the prevalence of mental health distress among a cohort of 1105 mothers using the World Health Organization's Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in August 2019 and after the first two infection waves in October-November 2021. Our primary outcome was mental health distress, defined as SRQ-20 score above 7. We analyzed social, economic and family level characteristics as factors modifying to the COVID-19 induced changes in the mental health status. At baseline, 22.5% of women were in mental health distress. The odds of mental health distress among women increased marginally over the first two waves of the pandemic (aOR1.22, CI 0.99-1.49). Women under age 30, with lower educational background, with less than three children, and those living in Eastern Province (compared to Southern Province) of Zambia, were found to be at highest risk of mental health deterioration during the pandemic. Our findings suggest that the prevalence of mental health distress is high in this population and has further worsened during COVID-19 pandemic. Public health interventions targeting mothers' mental health in low resource settings may want to particularly focus on young mothers with limited educational attainment.

Using WhatsApp support groups to promote responsive caregiving, caregiver mental health and child development in the COVID-19 era: A randomised controlled trial of a fully digital parenting intervention

Objective Digital interventions hold important potential for supporting parents when face-to-face interventions are unavailable. We assessed the feasibility and effectiveness of a digital parenting intervention in Zambia and Tanzania. Methods Using a randomised controlled trial, we evaluated the Sharing Stories digital parenting intervention for caregivers of children aged 9–32 months with access to a smartphone in their household. Caregivers were stratified based on child age and randomly assigned to the intervention or waitlist control arm. The intervention was delivered via facilitated WhatsApp groups over 6 weeks to promote caregiver wellbeing and responsive caregiving through shared reading activities. Primary outcomes were caregiver-reported responsive caregiving, child language and socio-emotional development. Secondary outcomes were caregiver mental health and parental stress. Masked assessors conducted assessments at baseline and immediate follow-up. Results Between October 2020 and March 2021, we randomly assigned 494 caregiver–child dyads to the intervention ( n = 248) or waitlist control ( n = 246) arm. Caregivers in the intervention group reported more responsive caregiving (OR = 2.55, 95% CI: 1.15–5.66, p = 0.02), time reading or looking at books (β = 0.45, p = 0.04) and telling stories (β = 0.72, p = 0.002). Intervention caregivers reported significantly lower symptoms of depression (β = −0.64, p = 0.05) and anxiety (β = −0.65, p = 0.02). Child development and parental stress did not differ significantly between groups. Conclusions Digital parenting interventions using WhatsApp can effectively promote responsive caregiving and caregiver mental health in low-resource settings, with great potential for scalability. Trial registration ISRCTN database, ISRCTN77689525.

Suubi4StrongerFamilies: A study protocol for a clustered randomized clinical trial addressing child behavioral health by strengthening financial stability and parenting among families in Uganda.

Children in Sub-Saharan Africa are burdened by significant unmet mental health needs. Across the region, high rates of poverty, HIV/AIDS, food insecurity, stigma, and an inadequate health safety net system exacerbate serious child behavioral health needs and impede an effective response. Disruptive behavioral disorders are particularly concerning as they persist through adolescence and adulthood. Hence, addressing the context-specific social influences on child behavioral health is critical given that children in the region comprise more than half of the total regional population. Against this backdrop, this study protocol describes a randomized clinical trial that will examine the mechanisms by which economic empowerment and family strengthening interventions targeting social, familial, and context-specific drivers affect the mental health of children in Uganda. The study uses an experimental, longitudinal design across 30 cluster-randomized primary schools to compare single and combination intervention options; influences of economic empowerment and family strengthening on economic, perceptual, and functioning mediators; and context-specific moderators. The study will be conducted with 900 Ugandan children in mid-upper primary school (10-14 years). The three study conditions (n = 300 each) are: (1) economic empowerment only (EE only), (2) multiple family group-based family strengthening only (MFG-based FS only), and (3) combined EE + MFG-based FS. The interventions will be provided for 12 months; and assessments will occur at baseline, 12, 24, and 36 months. Children in Sub-Saharan Africa are burdened by significant unmet mental health needs, including disruptive behavior disorders that persist through adolescence and adulthood if left untreated. The proposed study will examine the mechanisms by which economic empowerment and family strengthening interventions targeting social, familial and context-specific drivers affect the mental health of children in mid-upper primary schools in Uganda. Findings from this study can inform group, community, and population approaches that are needed for scalable solutions to address the social drivers negatively impacting child behavioral health in low-resource settings, including in Sub-Saharan Africa. [https://clinicaltrials.gov/], identifier [NCT053 68714].

On AI Approaches for Promoting Maternal and Neonatal Health in Low Resource Settings: A Review.

A significant challenge for hospitals and medical practitioners in low- and middle-income nations is the lack of sufficient health care facilities for timely medical diagnosis of chronic and deadly diseases. Particularly, maternal and neonatal morbidity due to various non-communicable and nutrition related diseases is a serious public health issue that leads to several deaths every year. These diseases affecting either mother or child can be hospital-acquired, contracted during pregnancy or delivery, postpartum and even during child growth and development. Many of these conditions are challenging to detect at their early stages, which puts the patient at risk of developing severe conditions over time. Therefore, there is a need for early screening, detection and diagnosis, which could reduce maternal and neonatal mortality. With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital technologies have emerged as practical assistive tools in different healthcare sectors but are still in their nascent stages when applied to maternal and neonatal health. This review article presents an in-depth examination of digital solutions proposed for maternal and neonatal healthcare in low resource settings and discusses the open problems as well as future research directions.

Mental Health and Information Reporting Assistant: technological innovation including low- and middle-income countries - an update

Introduction According to the World Health Organization, addressing the mental health care gap for adolescents, especially in low-resource contexts, is a priority. Evidence-based assessment is crucial for selecting treatment strategies and for quality management.ObjectivesTo develop a digital platform for evidence-based assessments and implement it in different low-resource settings.MethodsThe project operates according to the principles of digital development (https://digitalprinciples.org/), including designing with the user, user testing, understanding the ecosystem, resusing software and being open source, think about sustainability and addressing privacy and security.ResultsDifferent implementation contexts (in Tanzania, Kosovo and Chile) will be presented.The learned lessons will be presented to the audience.ConclusionsMHIRA is a promising tool that helps bridge the gap regarding adolescent mental health in low-resource settings. Challenges include the clinicans attitude towards evidence based assessment, sustainability of the project and integration with the existing information technology eco-system and regulations.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Set-up of GoLBeT, a pragmatic clinical trial of podoconiosis management in a low-resource setting

Abstract Clinical trials are often perceived as being expensive, difficult and beyond the capacity of academic groups and healthcare workers in low-resource settings. However, in order to improve healthcare coverage, the WHO World Health Report 2013 stated that all countries need to become generators as well as recipients of data. This study is a methodological examination of the steps and processes involved in setting up the Gojjam Lymphoedema Best Practice Trial (GoLBeT; ISRCTN67805210), a highly pragmatic clinical trial conducted in northern Ethiopia. Challenges to the trial and strategies used to deal with them were explored, together with reasons for delays. A qualitative approach using the Global Health Research Process Map as a framework was used to analyse emails and reports from the period between trial inception and recruitment. This analysis was complemented by interviews with key informants from the operational team and a group discussion. This study showed that the key areas of difficulty in setting up and planning this trial were: the study design (definition and measurement of the study endpoint, and assuring statistical power); recruitment and appropriate training of staff; planning for data quality; and gaining regulatory approvals. Collaboration was essential to successfully setting up the trial. Other important aspects were a team and process perspective, staff training, community engagement, and data quality e.g., through data management. Lessons learnt from this trial might guide in planning pragmatic trials in settings where research is not common, allowing researchers to anticipate challenges and address them through trial design, planning and operational delivery. We also hope that this example might encourage similar pragmatic studies to be undertaken. Such studies are rarely undertaken or locally led, but are an accessible and efficient way to drive improved outcomes in public health. Key messages Pragmatic clinical trials are essential to drive improved outcomes in public health in low-resource settings, but are perceived as challenging to set up and initiate. Our analysis of the Gojjam Lymphoedema Best Practice Trial found that factors for a successful set-up were collaborations, a team perspective, staff training, community engagement and data management.

Benefica chirurgia. A global surgery project focusing on hernia surgery

BackgroundThe aim of international health cooperation projects is to alleviate the deficiencies in the area of health in low resource settings. Hernia surgery is a procedure that is well suited to these missions, due to its low morbidity, the fact that it can be performed on an outpatient basis, and the improvement in quality of life that it provides. ObjectiveTo describe the results of Benefica Chirurgia (BC), a Spanish non-profit humanitarian association in hernia pathology. MethodsFive one-week surgical campaigns were carried out in Ecuador between 2015 and 2019, involving anesthetists, general and pediatric surgeons. Surgical and medical equipment was provided and transported by BC. ASA I/II patients underwent surgery. ResultsSurgery was performed on 240 patients with hernia pathology on 27 days. Sixty-three per cent of patients were male and the mean age was 48.2 years (range: 1–83). Hernia location was inguinal in 113 patients, umbilical in 101, and other in 26. The anesthetic technique used was spinal in 185 patients (77.1%), local plus intravenous sedation in 31 (12.9%), and general in 24 (10%). The surgical technique used was hernioplasty in 191 patients, herniorrhaphy in 31, incisional hernia repair in 15 and herniotomy in three. Surgery was performed on an outpatient basis in 98.4% of cases. Morbidity was 2%. Long-term postoperative evaluation is very complex. ConclusionThese campaigns make a significant contribution to health in low resource settings and provide great personal satisfaction for those involved. Standards achieved in the immediate postoperative period were similar to those obtained at the surgeons’ centers in Europe. However, it is difficult to establish the rates of recurrence and chronic pain.

Improving mental health in low-resource settings: A feasibility randomized controlled trial of a transdiagnostic psychological intervention among Burundian refugee adolescents and their caregivers

There is a paucity of evidence regarding interventions that can improve the mental health of adversity-affected young adolescents living in low-resource settings. We evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, relevance, and safety of the World Health Organization's Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions (EASE) intervention among Burundian refugee adolescents and their caregivers in Tanzania. This study consisted of a feasibility cluster randomized controlled trial (cRCT) and a process evaluation. The feasibility cRCT included 82 young adolescents and their 64 caregivers, with two clusters randomized to EASE and two to an enhanced control condition. EASE was delivered by adult refugees without prior training in mental health. The process evaluation consisted of 36 semi-structured qualitative interviews with key stakeholders, including adolescents, caregivers, and facilitators. EASE participants and facilitators gave positive feedback about its format, accessibility, and content. Trained non-specialist refugee facilitators were able to deliver EASE with high fidelity. The research protocol functioned well in terms of balanced randomization, limited loss to follow-up, and psychometrically promising measures, but discordance was observed between the short screener and psychological distress symptom checklist. This formative study suggests the potential of EASE in targeting psychological distress among displaced young adolescents and lays the groundwork for a future definitive trial.

“You Sort of Fit Together Like a Puzzle”: Across-Agency Partnership Attributes for Combating Food Insecurity in San Diego County

Abstract Objectives Food insecurity (FI), a social determinant of health, disproportionally affects U.S. racial/ethnic minority households. Reducing FI can lower health inequities, especially in San Diego County, CA where 42% of Hispanic/Latinx households experience FI. Capacity-oriented approaches may reduce FI and improve diet and health in low-resource settings, but local data are needed to develop these approaches. The overarching goal of this study was to identify multi-level sources of existing capital (assets) in San Diego County to inform an integrated approach to reducing FI. Methods Framed by the Socioecological Model, we conducted one-on-one semi-structured interviews with key informants at stakeholder agencies (n = 10) providing food and nutrition services to low-income households across San Diego County. Data collection is ongoing. Interview audio recordings were transcribed, checked, and discussed among the team (primary investigator and student researchers). The student researchers iteratively coded transcripts. The team discussed coding in biweekly meetings. As part of the analytical process, the team referenced the literature to identify theories or frameworks that helped explain what they were observing. Analyses were conducted in NVivo 12. Results Preliminary findings demonstrated that across-agency partnerships may be influential sources of existing capital for addressing FI. The Parent and Harvey model was identified as a framework to better understand agency partnerships, as it outlined partnership attributes in the context of partnership outputs. In San Diego County, across-agency partnership attributes that appeared to make partnerships successful included communication (e.g., regular communication, information sharing), coordination (e.g., referrals), trust, and mutuality (e.g., common vision/mission). For example, partnerships enabled a centralized referral process for clients needing access to a variety of services across multiple agencies. Conclusions In San Diego County, across-agency partnerships may be uniquely influential to addressing FI. Future research should consider how to continue to leverage these partnership capacities to reduce FI. Funding Sources NIH-NHLBI; SDSU ENS Thom Mackenzie Student Research Grant; SDSU Student Undergraduate Research Program.

Challenges to peer support in low- and middle-income countries during COVID-19

BackgroundA recent editorial urged those working in global mental health to “change the conversation” on coronavirus disease (Covid-19) by putting more focus on the needs of people with severe mental health conditions. UPSIDES (Using Peer Support In Developing Empowering mental health Services) is a six-country consortium carrying out implementation research on peer support for people with severe mental health conditions in high- (Germany, Israel), lower middle- (India) and low-income (Tanzania, Uganda) settings. This commentary briefly outlines some of the key challenges faced by UPSIDES sites in low- and middle-income countries as a result of Covid-19, sharing early lessons that may also apply to other services seeking to address the needs of people with severe mental health conditions in similar contexts.Challenges and lessons learnedThe key take-away from experiences in India, Tanzania and Uganda is that inequalities in terms of access to mobile technologies, as well as to secure employment and benefits, put peer support workers in particularly vulnerable situations precisely when they and their peers are also at their most isolated. Establishing more resilient peer support services requires attention to the already precarious situation of people with severe mental health conditions in low-resource settings, even before a crisis like Covid-19 occurs. While it is essential to maintain contact with peer support workers and peers to whatever extent is possible remotely, alternatives to face-to-face delivery of psychosocial interventions are not always straightforward to implement and can make it more difficult to observe individuals’ reactions, talk about emotional issues and offer appropriate support.ConclusionsIn environments where mental health care was already heavily medicalized and mostly limited to medications issued by psychiatric institutions, Covid-19 threatens burgeoning efforts to pursue a more holistic and person-centered model of care for people with severe mental health conditions. As countries emerge from lockdown, those working in global mental health will need to redouble their efforts not only to make up for lost time and help individuals cope with the added stressors of Covid-19 in their communities, but also to regain lost ground in mental health care reform and in broader conversations about mental health in low-resource settings.

Effects of the Global Coronavirus Disease-2019 Pandemic on Early Childhood Development: Short- and Long-Term Risks and Mitigating Program and Policy Actions

Effects of the Global Coronavirus Disease-2019 Pandemic on Early Childhood Development: Short- and Long-Term Risks and Mitigating Program and Policy Actions

Prioritarian principles for digital health in low resource settings

This theoretical paper argues for prioritarianism as an ethical underpinning for digital health in contexts of extreme disadvantage. In support of this claim, the paper develops three prioritarian principles for...

Cost-effectiveness of acute peritoneal dialysis: Considerations from Africa.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is currently an important public health problem with high morbidity and mortality especially in low- and middle-income countries. In these low-resource settings, prevention of death from severe AKI involves well-coordinated intensive care services, which are often absent or expensive. Provision of cost-effective interventions that are widely available and accessible to everyone is important. Acute peritoneal dialysis (PD), which is technically more economical than hemodialysis, could potentially become a cost-effective solution in the management of severe AKI. An acute PD project in Moshi, Tanzania, was used to assess the cost-effectiveness of PD using a comparison between subsidized and privately procured resources. The average cost per AKI course of treatment with PD when subsidized was USD 420, while if the same treatment was privately procured it was USD 788. Using a WHO guideline that categorizes interventions costing less than once the national annual GDP per capital as highly cost-effective, the Moshi PD project was found to be an appropriate example because the intervention cost (USD 788) was lower than the GDP per capita of Tanzania (USD 879 in 2012). If more countries develop similar programs in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly for children, this would allow for increased opportunity for economies of scale in the supply of consumables and could lower costs over the long term. Ministries of health in low-resource settings should consider developing programs for provision of acute PD to achieve equitable, cost-effective, and sustainable programs for treatment of AKI and subsidies to increase access to lower-income patients.

Health care in Amazon communities for education and awareness about health in low resource settings

Abstract Background Brazil has an extensive area and social differences. Indigenous peoples and other minorities still have great difficulty in accessing health. Although increase in the number of medical graduates, there has been a low number of professionals joining the jobs offered in the remote areas. Objectives: The objective of this project is to sensitize health students to the importance of meeting the health demands of the populations in remote areas and low resource settings through practical experience in the care of the indigenous communities of the Amazon region supervised by teachers. Results The Mandic Health Boat team consists of about 40 to 50 members: 8-10 physicians (epidemiologist, pediatrician, general practitioner, gynecology, dermatology and ophthalmology), nurses, dental surgeons, 16 medical graduates , 6 dentistry graduates, 1 dental technician and 1 optician. The trips are 10 days long and are organized in integration with the local population and the health district so that the tasks are integrated into the routines of health actions. To date, the project has already carried out two expeditions and another is scheduled in June 2019. In the last one, 1619 medical consultations were performed and 639 dental consultations were donated 574 glasses and performed 97 surgeries for pterygium excision. Conclusions Through this program it was possible to put the academics in contact with the reality of the indigenous communities and to raise awareness of the difficulties of these original peoples. It was also possible to provide health education and medical and dental care, with spotlight to dental prostheses and glasses, that are particularly difficult to access because they require materials and equipment that are unavailable in the forest. This experience provides health to the original populations and favors the students’ awareness to social problems, as well as being an innovative scenario for the learning process in the health area. Key messages This experience provides health to the original populations and favors the students’ awareness to social problems, as well as being an innovative scenario for the learning process in the health area. The planning of the expeditions with the community leaderships and the local health authorities allow the integration of the actions realized through annual trips to the routines of the health care.

Tropical Laboratory Initiative: An innovative model for laboratory medicine in rural areas.

BackgroundCommunities in rural, low-resource settings often lack access to reliable diagnostics. This leads to missed and misdiagnosed cases of disease and contributes to morbidity and mortality.ObjectiveThis paper describes a model for providing local laboratory services to rural areas of Ghana, and provides suggestions on how it could be adapted and expanded to serve populations in a range of rural communities.MethodsThe Tropical Laboratory Initiative (TLI) system in Ghana comprises one central laboratory where samples delivered from clinics by motorbike riders are analysed. Test requests and results are communicated on a mHealth application, and the patient does not have to visit the laboratory or travel beyond the clinic to receive a test. The TLI also serves as a research base. The laboratory is accredited by the National Health Insurance Authority, and accepts the national health insurance. The TLI serves several communities in Amansie West, Ashanti region, and currently works with 10 clinics. The nearest hospital is a one-hour drive away and is the only other nearby facility for diagnostics beyond basic rapid tests.ResultsDemand for services has increased yearly since the launch in 2010, and the TLI currently provides over 1000 tests to approximately 350 patients monthly. The majority of patients are female, and the most common tests are for antenatal care. Our experience demonstrates that laboratory services can be affordable and most components already exist, even in rural areas.ConclusionMinistries of health in low-resource settings should consider this model to complement the rapid tests available in clinics. Integrating with an insurance system promotes financial sustainability.