Rebecca Heidkamp
Biographic Data
| ID | 2007387 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Rebecca Heidkamp |
| GIVEN NAMES | Rebecca |
| FAMILY NAME | Heidkamp |
| SIGNATURE | HEIDKAMP R |
| AFFILIATIONS | Johns Hopkins University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3146-1320 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 28 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 0 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 28 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 0 |
Formative research in Ethiopia and Bangladesh
Background: As countries transition from implementing iron folic acid (IFA) to multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) for pregnant women, they need accurate data on who is being reached with these interventions. The aim of our formative research in Ethiopia and Bangladesh was to design updated household survey questions, response options, and visual aids to measure coverage of prenatal micronutrient supplements. Methods: In phase I, we landscap…
Effective coverage for maternal health
Background: Efforts to improve maternal health have focused on measuring health and nutrition service coverage. Despite improvements in service coverage, maternal mortality rates remain high. This suggests that coverage indicators alone do not fully capture the quality of care and may overestimate the health benefits of a service. Effective coverage (EC) cascades have been proposed as an approach to capture service quality within population-based…
Nutrition Intervention Coverage and Inequities Along the Continuum of Care
Many countries rely on national household surveys to monitor coverage of nutrition interventions. Following a multi-year consultative effort, 14 new and revised nutrition coverage indicators were included in the Round 8 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS-8) core questionnaire. These indicators were better aligned with international recommendations and generate actionable data for policy and programmatic decision making at national, subnational, a…
Availability of national policies, programmes, and survey‐based coverage data to track nutrition interventions in South Asia
Progress to improve nutrition among women, infants and children in South Asia has fallen behind the pace needed to meet established global targets. Renewed political commitment and monitoring of nutrition interventions are required to improve coverage and quality of care. Our study aimed to assess the availability of national nutrition policies, programmes, and coverage data of nutrition interventions for women, children, and adolescents in eight…
Factors associated with diet diversity among infants and young children in the Eastern and Southern Africa region
This study explores common factors associated with not meeting minimum dietary diversity (MDD) among 27,072 children aged 6-23 months in Eastern and Southern Africa using data from nine Demographic and Health Surveys from 2013 to 2016. MDD was defined as consumption of more than or equals to five of eight food groups including breast milk in the past 24 h. Equity gaps were calculated as the difference in MDD prevalence between the top and bottom …
Climate shocks and nutrition
Niger is afflicted with high rates of poverty, high fertility rates, frequent environmental crises, and climate change. Recurrent droughts and floods have led to chronic food insecurity linked to poor maternal and neonatal nutrition outcomes in vulnerable regions. We analyzed maternal and neonatal nutrition trends and subnational variability between 2000 and 2021 with a focus on the implementation of policies and programs surrounding two acute cl…
Landscape of official development assistance for nutrition data and information systems
Nutrition data and information systems (ND&IS) are critical to guide the prioritisation, collection, analysis and dissemination of nutrition data in countries. However, there is limited guidance for countries regarding how to invest in their ND&IS and little is known about current financing allocations by both countries and donors. This hinders our ability to identify the most critical funding gaps and to effectively advocate for increased financ…
Critical assessment of the current indicator for antenatal iron‐containing supplementation coverage
Daily consumption of iron-containing supplements is recommended for all pregnant women but there is no approved global standard indicator for assessing supplementation coverage. Furthermore, the validity of commonly used coverage indicators for iron-containing supplement consumption is questionable. The WHO-UNICEF Technical Expert Advisory Group on Nutrition Monitoring, and partners, have systematically worked to identify a feasible and valid ind…
Cognitive testing of questions about antenatal care and nutrition interventions in southern Nepal
Covid-19, nutrition, and gender
Validation of maternal report of nutrition‐related interventions and counselling during antenatal care in southern Nepal
The delivery of nutrition-related interventions and counselling during antenatal care is critical for a healthy pregnancy for both mother and child. However, the accuracy of maternal reports of many of these services during household surveys has not yet been examined. Our objectives were to assess the validity of the maternal reports of 10 antenatal nutrition interventions, including counselling, and examine associates between maternal characteri…
Advancing nutrition measurement
The health sector plays an important role in the delivery of high-quality nutrition interventions to women and children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, there are no standardized approaches to defining and measuring nutrition service quality in these contexts. This study aims to systematically develop quality of care indices for direct health systems nutrition interventions using a five-step process: (1) identify recommended …
Using cognitive interviewing to bridge the intent‐interpretation gap for nutrition coverage survey questions in India
Designing survey questions that clearly and precisely communicate the question's intent and elicit responses based on the intended interpretation is critical but often undervalued. We used cognitive interviewing to qualitatively assess respondents' interpretation of and responses to questions pertaining to maternal and child nutrition intervention coverage. We conducted interviews to cognitively test 25 survey questions with mothers (N = 21) with…
Impacts of Covid-19 on childhood malnutrition and nutrition-related mortality
Nutrition data use and needs
BACKGROUND: There is growing global demand for country-specific information to track nutritional status and its determinants, including intervention coverage. Periodic population-based surveys form the backbone of most national nutrition information systems. However, data on the coverage of many nutrition specific and sensitive interventions remain sparse. METHODS: tests used for statistical testing. RESULTS: < 0.05). The most commonly accessed i…
How do nutrition professionals working in low‐income countries perceive and prioritize actions to prevent wasting? A mixed‐methods study
Despite a shared commitment to achieving global nutrition targets, development and emergency-humanitarian actors tend to prioritize different nutrition outcomes and actions. New approaches are needed to bridge the divide between these communities and to strengthen the overall evidence base for prevention of wasting. To better understand how these different groups perceive and prioritize actions for wasting prevention, key informant interviews (n …
Measuring coverage of infant and young child feeding counselling interventions
Most countries implement nutrition counselling interventions as part of programmes to support breastfeeding and complementary feeding. However, data to track coverage of counselling interventions are rarely available. As a result, little is known about the coverage of counselling on infant and young child feeding (IYCF). Survey-based data collection systems generally collect data on IYCF practices but do not collect data on coverage of interventi…
Developing data use capacity in the maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition sector in Malawi, Mali, Mozambique and Tanzania
Understanding client and provider perspectives of antenatal care service quality
A multi-institutional approach to data-driven decision-making
Leveraging data visualization to improve the use of data for global health decision-making
gap between evidence and action
Prevalence thresholds for wasting, overweight and stunting in children under 5 years
Objective Prevalence ranges to classify levels of wasting and stunting have been used since the 1990s for global monitoring of malnutrition. Recent developments prompted a re-examination of existing ranges and development of new ones for childhood overweight. The present paper reports from the WHO–UNICEF Technical Expert Advisory Group on Nutrition Monitoring. Design Thresholds were developed in relation to sd of the normative WHO Child Growth St…
Building integrated data systems for health and nutrition program evaluations
G lobally, we have more data on population health than ever before.In the era of "big data", the challenge is not only to collect data but also to make use and sense of what is already there.Countries have a wealth of information on maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition (MNCH&N) programs and impact but it is dispersed through a variety of sources, and sometimes difficult for policy and program decision-makers to access, analyze and dev…
Encouraging local ownership of an externally-coordinated capacity building initiative in Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, and Tanzania
Explaining progress towards Millennium Development Goal 4 for child survival in Tanzania
BACKGROUND: As one of several countries that pledged to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Mozambique sought to reduce child, neonatal, and maternal mortality by two thirds by 2015. This study examines the impact of Mozambique's efforts between 1997 and 2015, highlighting the increases in intervention coverage that contributed to saving the most lives. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of available household survey data was conducte…
No prominent works on this page.
Breastfeeding practices and child growth outcomes in Haiti
Haiti's national nutrition policy prioritises breastfeeding, but limited data are available to inform strategy. We examined national trends in early initiation of breastfeeding (ErIBF) and exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) over a 10-year period using data from three Haitian Demographic and Health Surveys (1994-1995, 2000 and 2005-2006). We used multivariate regression methods to identify determinants of ErIBF and EBF in the 2005-2006 data set and to …
Complementary feeding practices and child growth outcomes in Haiti
The Haitian National Nutrition Policy identifies the promotion of optimal complementary feeding (CF) practices as a priority action to prevent childhood malnutrition. We analysed data from the nationally representative 2005-2006 Haiti Demographic Health Survey using the World Health Organization 2008 infant and young child feeding indicators to describe feeding practices among children aged 6-23 months and thus inform policy and programme plannin…
The National Evaluation Platform for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health, and Nutrition
A ccelerating progress in women' s and children' s health requires scaling up efficacious interventions and measuring progress towards defined targets. However, determining what is effective in a particular setting and optimizing investments is challenging given the complexity of health systems and the diversity of contexts surrounding maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition (MNCH&N) policies and programs in low-and middle-income countr…
Building integrated data systems for health and nutrition program evaluations
G lobally, we have more data on population health than ever before.In the era of "big data", the challenge is not only to collect data but also to make use and sense of what is already there.Countries have a wealth of information on maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition (MNCH&N) programs and impact but it is dispersed through a variety of sources, and sometimes difficult for policy and program decision-makers to access, analyze and dev…
Encouraging local ownership of an externally-coordinated capacity building initiative in Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, and Tanzania
Explaining progress towards Millennium Development Goal 4 for child survival in Tanzania
BACKGROUND: As one of several countries that pledged to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Mozambique sought to reduce child, neonatal, and maternal mortality by two thirds by 2015. This study examines the impact of Mozambique's efforts between 1997 and 2015, highlighting the increases in intervention coverage that contributed to saving the most lives. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of available household survey data was conducte…
Developing data use capacity in the maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition sector in Malawi, Mali, Mozambique and Tanzania
Understanding client and provider perspectives of antenatal care service quality
A multi-institutional approach to data-driven decision-making
Leveraging data visualization to improve the use of data for global health decision-making
gap between evidence and action
Prevalence thresholds for wasting, overweight and stunting in children under 5 years
Objective Prevalence ranges to classify levels of wasting and stunting have been used since the 1990s for global monitoring of malnutrition. Recent developments prompted a re-examination of existing ranges and development of new ones for childhood overweight. The present paper reports from the WHO–UNICEF Technical Expert Advisory Group on Nutrition Monitoring. Design Thresholds were developed in relation to sd of the normative WHO Child Growth St…
Impacts of Covid-19 on childhood malnutrition and nutrition-related mortality
Nutrition data use and needs
BACKGROUND: There is growing global demand for country-specific information to track nutritional status and its determinants, including intervention coverage. Periodic population-based surveys form the backbone of most national nutrition information systems. However, data on the coverage of many nutrition specific and sensitive interventions remain sparse. METHODS: tests used for statistical testing. RESULTS: < 0.05). The most commonly accessed i…
How do nutrition professionals working in low‐income countries perceive and prioritize actions to prevent wasting? A mixed‐methods study
Despite a shared commitment to achieving global nutrition targets, development and emergency-humanitarian actors tend to prioritize different nutrition outcomes and actions. New approaches are needed to bridge the divide between these communities and to strengthen the overall evidence base for prevention of wasting. To better understand how these different groups perceive and prioritize actions for wasting prevention, key informant interviews (n …
Measuring coverage of infant and young child feeding counselling interventions
Most countries implement nutrition counselling interventions as part of programmes to support breastfeeding and complementary feeding. However, data to track coverage of counselling interventions are rarely available. As a result, little is known about the coverage of counselling on infant and young child feeding (IYCF). Survey-based data collection systems generally collect data on IYCF practices but do not collect data on coverage of interventi…
Validation of maternal report of nutrition‐related interventions and counselling during antenatal care in southern Nepal
The delivery of nutrition-related interventions and counselling during antenatal care is critical for a healthy pregnancy for both mother and child. However, the accuracy of maternal reports of many of these services during household surveys has not yet been examined. Our objectives were to assess the validity of the maternal reports of 10 antenatal nutrition interventions, including counselling, and examine associates between maternal characteri…
Advancing nutrition measurement
The health sector plays an important role in the delivery of high-quality nutrition interventions to women and children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, there are no standardized approaches to defining and measuring nutrition service quality in these contexts. This study aims to systematically develop quality of care indices for direct health systems nutrition interventions using a five-step process: (1) identify recommended …
Using cognitive interviewing to bridge the intent‐interpretation gap for nutrition coverage survey questions in India
Designing survey questions that clearly and precisely communicate the question's intent and elicit responses based on the intended interpretation is critical but often undervalued. We used cognitive interviewing to qualitatively assess respondents' interpretation of and responses to questions pertaining to maternal and child nutrition intervention coverage. We conducted interviews to cognitively test 25 survey questions with mothers (N = 21) with…
Landscape of official development assistance for nutrition data and information systems
Nutrition data and information systems (ND&IS) are critical to guide the prioritisation, collection, analysis and dissemination of nutrition data in countries. However, there is limited guidance for countries regarding how to invest in their ND&IS and little is known about current financing allocations by both countries and donors. This hinders our ability to identify the most critical funding gaps and to effectively advocate for increased financ…
Critical assessment of the current indicator for antenatal iron‐containing supplementation coverage
Daily consumption of iron-containing supplements is recommended for all pregnant women but there is no approved global standard indicator for assessing supplementation coverage. Furthermore, the validity of commonly used coverage indicators for iron-containing supplement consumption is questionable. The WHO-UNICEF Technical Expert Advisory Group on Nutrition Monitoring, and partners, have systematically worked to identify a feasible and valid ind…
Cognitive testing of questions about antenatal care and nutrition interventions in southern Nepal
Covid-19, nutrition, and gender
Availability of national policies, programmes, and survey‐based coverage data to track nutrition interventions in South Asia
Progress to improve nutrition among women, infants and children in South Asia has fallen behind the pace needed to meet established global targets. Renewed political commitment and monitoring of nutrition interventions are required to improve coverage and quality of care. Our study aimed to assess the availability of national nutrition policies, programmes, and coverage data of nutrition interventions for women, children, and adolescents in eight…
Factors associated with diet diversity among infants and young children in the Eastern and Southern Africa region
This study explores common factors associated with not meeting minimum dietary diversity (MDD) among 27,072 children aged 6-23 months in Eastern and Southern Africa using data from nine Demographic and Health Surveys from 2013 to 2016. MDD was defined as consumption of more than or equals to five of eight food groups including breast milk in the past 24 h. Equity gaps were calculated as the difference in MDD prevalence between the top and bottom …
Climate shocks and nutrition
Niger is afflicted with high rates of poverty, high fertility rates, frequent environmental crises, and climate change. Recurrent droughts and floods have led to chronic food insecurity linked to poor maternal and neonatal nutrition outcomes in vulnerable regions. We analyzed maternal and neonatal nutrition trends and subnational variability between 2000 and 2021 with a focus on the implementation of policies and programs surrounding two acute cl…
Child Nutrition and Water Access (24 works) · Medicine (24 works) · Environmental health (19 works) · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations (15 works) · Global Maternal and Child Health (14 works) · Nursing (12 works) · Economic growth (11 works) · Psychological intervention (11 works) · Geography (8 works) · Pediatrics (8 works)