Malabika Sarker
Biographic Data
| ID | 117079 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Malabika Sarker |
| GIVEN NAMES | Malabika |
| FAMILY NAME | Sarker |
| SIGNATURE | SARKER M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Heidelberg University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7293-8805 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 39 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 23 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 39 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2005 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Barriers & coverage outcomes of inactivated polio vaccine & oral polio vaccine in humanitarian settings
Polio is targeted for global eradication by 2029. Immunization campaigns face significant challenges in humanitarian emergencies due to instability, population displacement, and health infrastructure collapse. The two primary vaccines used, Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) and Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV), have distinct delivery requirements. This scoping review maps key implementation barriers for each delivery mechanism in disaster settings and asse…
Measuring feasibility
We sought to assess the feasibility of mainstreaming balanced energy protein supplementation, a maternal nutrition intervention, into Bangladesh’s routine antenatal care system in tandem with an ongoing effectiveness trial in northwestern Bangladesh. Feasibility is an implementation science outcome defined as the extent to which a new intervention can be implemented successfully in a given context. We found feasibility difficult to measure using …
Stronger together
Box Global health research partnerships face persistent inequities, including funding imbalances, unbalanced recognition and inequitable recognition of low-and middle-income country (LMIC) researchers and their overall capacities
Economic shocks and mental health in Bangladesh
INTRODUCTION: Economic shocks, that is, events that cause a sudden loss of income for households, are common in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), yet their impact on mental health remains understudied. While such shocks may contribute to depression and anxiety, evidence remains limited, particularly in resource-poor settings where mental health disorders are underdiagnosed and undertreated. This study examines the causal impact of e…
High coverage and equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccine uptake in two vulnerable areas in Bangladesh
Bangladesh completed a primary series of COVID-19 vaccinations for about 86 individuals per 100 population as of 5 July 2023. However, ensuring higher coverage in vulnerable areas is challenging. We report on the COVID-19 vaccine uptake and associated factors among adults in two vulnerable areas in Bangladesh. We conducted a cross-sectional study between August and September 2022 in Duaripara, a slum in northeast Dhaka (in-migration site), and Ta…
Five ways to bridge the 'know-do' continuum in global health
Factors associated with knowledge and practices of Covid-19 prevention among mothers of under-2 children in Bangladesh
The COVID-19 pandemic extensively impacted maternal, neonatal, and child health (MNCH) in Bangladesh. Misconceptions arising from a lack of knowledge related to the virus contributed to reduced uptake of MNCH services, which eventually helped increase maternal and neonatal mortality rates during the pandemic. In this study, we assessed the knowledge and practices related to COVID-19 prevention among the mothers of under-2 children in Bangladesh. …
The evolution, facilitators, barriers, and additional activities of acute flaccid paralysis surveillance platform in polio eradication programme Bangladesh
BACKGROUND: The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) helped develop the standard acute flaccid paralysis surveillance (AFP) system worldwide, including, knowledge, expertise, technical assistance, and trained personnel. AFP surveillance can complement any disease surveillance system. OBJECTIVE: This study outlines AFP surveillance evolution in Bangladesh, its success and challenging factors, and its potential to facilitate other health goal…
Medical treatment loans and their effects on health care utilization and out-of-pocket expenditure
Improving the response to future pandemics requires an improved understanding of the role played by institutions, politics, organization, and governance
A scoping review on integrated health campaigns for immunization in low- and middle-income countries
Health campaign integration is a key implementation strategy outlined by the World Health Organization to achieve universal health coverage. This scoping review synthesizes the evidence on Integrated Health Campaigns (IHC) in the field of immunization in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) regarding the most common strategies, facilitators and barriers. Four reviewers followed a systematic approach to identify, screen and analyse relevant ar…
Exploring health-seeking behavior for non-communicable chronic conditions in northern Bangladesh
Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) account for 67% of total deaths in Bangladesh. However, the Bangladeshi health system is inadequately prepared to tackle NCDs. Evidence on NCD-specific health-seeking behavior can help appropriately address the needs of people affected by NCDs in Bangladesh. Our study aims to explore health-seeking behavior for people affected by NCDs in northern Bangladesh. We conducted a qualitative study in Mithapukur, Rangpur,…
Tension and Other Idioms of Distress Among Slum Dwelling Young Men
In low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) it is vital to understand acceptable, comprehensive, and culturally appropriate ways of communicating about mental distress. Diagnostic terminology is rarely used, may be stigmatizing, and is subject to misinterpretation. Local terms, such as idioms of distress, can improve mental health literacy and service delivery. Our objective was to examine lived experience and coping connected to distress and depr…
Community-based referral transportation system for accessing emergency obstetric services in the Rohingya refugee camp during the Covid-19 pandemic in Bangladesh
The study observed that the referral hub has a high potential to increase the utilization of SRHR services. Despite the barriers, the facilitating factors show a scope of improvement for these services
Consent Requirements for Testing Health Policies
Individual informed consent is a central requirement for clinical research on human subjects, yet whether and how consent requirements should apply to health policy experiments (HPEs) remains unclear. HPEs test and evaluate public health policies prior to implementation. We interviewed 58 health experts in Tanzania, Bangladesh and Germany on informed consent requirements for HPEs. Health experts across all countries favored a strong evidence base…
I Left My Old Self in the Training Session and Came Back With a New One’
Sociodrama and psychodrama have shown promising behavioral and attitudinal changes among men who adhere to toxic masculine attitudes and behavior. However, it is unknown whether such an approach could potentially curb the rising gender-based violence in Bangladesh. This paper presents the findings of in-depth interviews with 12 out of the 40 men in an urban slum in Dhaka who received culturally contextualized sociodrama and psychodrama interventi…
Mandatory employer-sponsored health financing scheme for semiformal workers in Bangladesh
Nationally representative surveys show gradual shifting of overweight and obesity towards poor and less-educated women of reproductive age in Nepal
Overweight and obesity are considered major public health concerns all over the world. They have the potential to increase the risk of developing non-communicable diseases in reproductive age women, increasing their risk of pregnancy related complications and adverse birth outcome. This study was carried out to identify the trend of prevalence of overweight and obesity, along with their determinants, among reproductive age women (15–49 years) in …
“Thought provoking”, “interactive”, and “more like a peer talk”
Proponents of the newly-developed "deliberative interview" argue that examining complex issues requires more dynamic and engaging interview exchanges. Unlike traditional qualitative interviews, deliberative interviewing champions opinion sharing, active debates and similar speaking times by both sides throughout the interview. Drawing on 20 interviews with health experts in Germany, we examined the process and outcome of deliberative versus conve…
Low uptake of Covid-19 prevention behaviours and high socioeconomic impact of lockdown measures in South Asia
Our results identified important knowledge, access and uptake barriers to the prevention of COVID-19 in South Asia, and demonstrated major adverse impacts of the pandemic on chronic disease treatment, mental health, health-related behaviours, employment and household finances. We found important sociodemographic differences for impact, suggesting a widening of existing inequalities. Our findings underscore the need for immediate large-scale actio…
The effects of polio eradication efforts on health systems
Vertical disease control programmes have enormous potential to benefit or weaken health systems, and it is critical to understand how programmes’ design and implementation impact the health systems and communities in which they operate. We use the Develop–Distort Dilemma (DDD) framework to understand how the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) distorted or developed local health systems. We include document review and 176 interviews with r…
Barriers and facilitators to knowledge translation activities within academic institutions in low- and middle-income countries
The barriers and facilitators of conducting knowledge translation (KT) activities are well-established but less is known about the institutional forces that drive these barriers, particularly in low resource settings. Understanding organizational readiness has been used to assess and address such barriers but the employment of readiness assessments has largely been done in high-income countries. We conducted a qualitative study to describe the in…
Gender differences in hypertension awareness, antihypertensive use and blood pressure control in Nepalese adults
The objective of this cross-sectional study was to determine the gender differences in hypertension awareness, antihypertensive use and blood pressure (BP) control among the adult Nepalese population (≥18 years) using data from the nationally representative Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2016. A weighted sample of 13,393 adults (5620 males and 7773 females) was included in the final analysis. After conducting descriptive analyses with the se…
Healthcare worker attendance during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed hospitals in several areas in high-income countries. An effective response to this pandemic requires health care workers (HCWs) to be present at work, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where they are already in critically low supply. To inform whether and to what degree policymakers in Bangladesh, and LMICs more broadly, should expect a drop in HCW attendance as COVID-19 con…
Translating international guidelines for use in routine maternal and neonatal healthcare quality measurement
BACKGROUND: Improving facility-based quality for maternal and neonatal care is the key to reducing morbidity and mortality rates in low- and middle-income countries. Recent guidance from WHO and others has produced a large number of indicators to choose from to track quality. OBJECTIVE: To explore how to translate complex global maternal and neonatal health standards into actionable application at the facility level. METHODS: We applied a two-ste…
From Doxastic to Epistemic
Qualitative interview styles have been guided by precedent within academic disciplines. The nature of information sought, and the role of interviewer and interviewee are key determinants across styles, which range from doxastic (focused on understanding interviewees' experiences or behaviors) to epistemic (focused on co-constructing knowledge). In this article, we position common interview styles along a doxastic-epistemic continuum, and accordin…
Lessons learned in using realist evaluation to assess maternal and newborn health programming in rural Bangladesh
Realist evaluation furnishes valuable insight to public health practitioners and policy makers about how and why interventions work or don't work. Moving beyond binary measures of success or failure, it provides a systematic approach to understanding what goes on in the 'Black Box' and how implementation decisions in real life contexts can affect intervention effectiveness. This paper reflects on an experience in applying the tenets of realist ev…
Mandatory employer-sponsored health financing scheme for semiformal workers in Bangladesh
Cultural Attitudes toward Postpartum Depression in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, yet in many cultures, it remains unaddressed and unacknowledged. Postpartum depression is particularly delicate because of its association with gender and expectations of motherhood. This ethnographic study in Dhaka, Bangladesh sought to understand local perceptions of postpartum depression and cultural influences around mental health care seeking. The results describe the role of culture a…
Antenatal Care Services in Rural Uganda
Experience from countries that have achieved low maternal mortality suggests that access to good-quality maternity services is critical to improve maternal health. In this article we appraise the quality of antenatal care (ANC) services in a rural district of Uganda. We used a mixed methods approach, relying on a combination of semistructured interviews with both clients and providers, structured observations of provider-patient interactions, and…
The Role of HIV-Related Knowledge and Ethnicity in Determining HIV Risk Perception and Willingness to Undergo HIV Testing Among Rural Women in Burkina Faso
A qualitative investigation into knowledge, beliefs, and practices surrounding mastitis in sub-Saharan Africa
Health problems related to breastfeeding are perceived to be very common in rural Burkina Faso. Further epidemiological research to assess the actual prevalence of such pathologies is urgently needed to inform the design of adequate control measures, especially given the impact of mastitis on HIV vertical transmission. Our investigation into local illness concepts and health care seeking behaviour is useful to ensure that such measures be cultura…
Emergency Contraceptive Pills
CONTEXT: As abortion is illegal in Nicaragua, postcoital contraception is an important option for preventing pregnancy. Emergency contraceptive pills are available in Nicaraguan pharmacies over the counter, but pharmacy personnel's knowledge and attitudes about this method can affect access. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Managua, Nicaragua's capital. Interviewers administered a semistructured questionnaire to 93 pharmacy empl…
Determinants of circumcision and willingness to be circumcised by Rwandan men, 2010
Adolescents and young adults were more willing to be circumcised. It is critical to ensure the availability of pain free services in order to satisfy the increasing demand for the scale up of MC in Rwanda
Antenatal Care Services in Rural Uganda
Experience from countries that have achieved low maternal mortality suggests that access to good-quality maternity services is critical to improve maternal health. In this article we appraise the quality of antenatal care (ANC) services in a rural district of Uganda. We used a mixed methods approach, relying on a combination of semistructured interviews with both clients and providers, structured observations of provider-patient interactions, and…
Exploring the Roles, Practices and Service Delivery Mechanism of Health Service Providers Regarding TB in Two Urban Slums of Dhaka
Tuberculosis (TB) is a major health care burden in developing countries. With a high number of population living in an environment with high congestion, controlling TB in Bangladesh especially in urban areas has been a big challenge. The current study aims to identify the perception and treatment practice of formal and informal health service providers regarding TB in terms of treatment, referral system and to find out the partnership mechanism a…
Knowledge and attitude of key community members towards tuberculosis
This study finding has revealed varying levels of knowledge and mixed attitudes about TB among the KCMs. It also provides insight on the poor knowledge regarding child TB and indicate that despite the significant success of the TB program stigma is yet prevalent in the community. Future ACSM activities should engage community members against stigma and promote child TB related information for further improvement of BRAC TB Control Programme
Lessons learned in using realist evaluation to assess maternal and newborn health programming in rural Bangladesh
Realist evaluation furnishes valuable insight to public health practitioners and policy makers about how and why interventions work or don't work. Moving beyond binary measures of success or failure, it provides a systematic approach to understanding what goes on in the 'Black Box' and how implementation decisions in real life contexts can affect intervention effectiveness. This paper reflects on an experience in applying the tenets of realist ev…
Who are more responsive? Mixed-methods comparison of public and private sector physicians in rural Bangladesh
Responsiveness of physicians (ROPs) reflects the social actions by physicians to meet the legitimate expectations of health care users. Responsiveness is important since it improves understanding and care seeking by users, as well as fostering trust in health systems rather than replicating discrimination and entrenching inequality. Given widespread public and private sector health care provision in Bangladesh, we undertook a mixed-methods study …
Cultural Attitudes toward Postpartum Depression in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, yet in many cultures, it remains unaddressed and unacknowledged. Postpartum depression is particularly delicate because of its association with gender and expectations of motherhood. This ethnographic study in Dhaka, Bangladesh sought to understand local perceptions of postpartum depression and cultural influences around mental health care seeking. The results describe the role of culture a…
Overall Care-Seeking Pattern and Gender Disparity at a Specialized Mental Hospital in Bangladesh
INTRODUCTION: The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is the only national level mental health institution in Bangladesh, with both academic and clinical functions, thus playing a crucial role in delivering specialized mental health care for the entire population. AIM: This study examined the overall pattern of mental health care seeking, age and sex distribution of patients and mental health problems diagnosed in the facility. METHODS: Us…
Gender differences in hypertension awareness, antihypertensive use and blood pressure control in Nepalese adults
The objective of this cross-sectional study was to determine the gender differences in hypertension awareness, antihypertensive use and blood pressure (BP) control among the adult Nepalese population (≥18 years) using data from the nationally representative Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2016. A weighted sample of 13,393 adults (5620 males and 7773 females) was included in the final analysis. After conducting descriptive analyses with the se…
Healthcare worker attendance during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed hospitals in several areas in high-income countries. An effective response to this pandemic requires health care workers (HCWs) to be present at work, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where they are already in critically low supply. To inform whether and to what degree policymakers in Bangladesh, and LMICs more broadly, should expect a drop in HCW attendance as COVID-19 con…
Translating international guidelines for use in routine maternal and neonatal healthcare quality measurement
BACKGROUND: Improving facility-based quality for maternal and neonatal care is the key to reducing morbidity and mortality rates in low- and middle-income countries. Recent guidance from WHO and others has produced a large number of indicators to choose from to track quality. OBJECTIVE: To explore how to translate complex global maternal and neonatal health standards into actionable application at the facility level. METHODS: We applied a two-ste…
Synthesis and translation of research and innovations from polio eradication (STRIPE)
Understanding the implementing context is critical for identifying threats and opportunities to global health programs. Common implementation strategies emerged across countries; however, these strategies were only effective where organizational and individual capacity were sufficient, and where strategies were appropriately tailored to the sociopolitical context. To maximize gains, readiness assessments at different levels should predate future …
Sampling method for surveying complex and multi-institutional partnerships
The application of these methods can inform future evaluations of complex public health initiatives, resulting in better adoption of lessons learned, ultimately improving efficacy and efficiency, and resulting in significant health gains. Their use to administer the STRIPE lessons learned survey reflects experiences related to implementation challenges and strategies used to overcome barriers from actors across an extensive range of organizationa…
From Doxastic to Epistemic
Qualitative interview styles have been guided by precedent within academic disciplines. The nature of information sought, and the role of interviewer and interviewee are key determinants across styles, which range from doxastic (focused on understanding interviewees' experiences or behaviors) to epistemic (focused on co-constructing knowledge). In this article, we position common interview styles along a doxastic-epistemic continuum, and accordin…
Nationally representative surveys show gradual shifting of overweight and obesity towards poor and less-educated women of reproductive age in Nepal
Overweight and obesity are considered major public health concerns all over the world. They have the potential to increase the risk of developing non-communicable diseases in reproductive age women, increasing their risk of pregnancy related complications and adverse birth outcome. This study was carried out to identify the trend of prevalence of overweight and obesity, along with their determinants, among reproductive age women (15–49 years) in …
“Thought provoking”, “interactive”, and “more like a peer talk”
Proponents of the newly-developed "deliberative interview" argue that examining complex issues requires more dynamic and engaging interview exchanges. Unlike traditional qualitative interviews, deliberative interviewing champions opinion sharing, active debates and similar speaking times by both sides throughout the interview. Drawing on 20 interviews with health experts in Germany, we examined the process and outcome of deliberative versus conve…
Low uptake of Covid-19 prevention behaviours and high socioeconomic impact of lockdown measures in South Asia
Our results identified important knowledge, access and uptake barriers to the prevention of COVID-19 in South Asia, and demonstrated major adverse impacts of the pandemic on chronic disease treatment, mental health, health-related behaviours, employment and household finances. We found important sociodemographic differences for impact, suggesting a widening of existing inequalities. Our findings underscore the need for immediate large-scale actio…
The effects of polio eradication efforts on health systems
Vertical disease control programmes have enormous potential to benefit or weaken health systems, and it is critical to understand how programmes’ design and implementation impact the health systems and communities in which they operate. We use the Develop–Distort Dilemma (DDD) framework to understand how the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) distorted or developed local health systems. We include document review and 176 interviews with r…
Barriers and facilitators to knowledge translation activities within academic institutions in low- and middle-income countries
The barriers and facilitators of conducting knowledge translation (KT) activities are well-established but less is known about the institutional forces that drive these barriers, particularly in low resource settings. Understanding organizational readiness has been used to assess and address such barriers but the employment of readiness assessments has largely been done in high-income countries. We conducted a qualitative study to describe the in…
Exploring health-seeking behavior for non-communicable chronic conditions in northern Bangladesh
Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) account for 67% of total deaths in Bangladesh. However, the Bangladeshi health system is inadequately prepared to tackle NCDs. Evidence on NCD-specific health-seeking behavior can help appropriately address the needs of people affected by NCDs in Bangladesh. Our study aims to explore health-seeking behavior for people affected by NCDs in northern Bangladesh. We conducted a qualitative study in Mithapukur, Rangpur,…
Tension and Other Idioms of Distress Among Slum Dwelling Young Men
In low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) it is vital to understand acceptable, comprehensive, and culturally appropriate ways of communicating about mental distress. Diagnostic terminology is rarely used, may be stigmatizing, and is subject to misinterpretation. Local terms, such as idioms of distress, can improve mental health literacy and service delivery. Our objective was to examine lived experience and coping connected to distress and depr…
Community-based referral transportation system for accessing emergency obstetric services in the Rohingya refugee camp during the Covid-19 pandemic in Bangladesh
The study observed that the referral hub has a high potential to increase the utilization of SRHR services. Despite the barriers, the facilitating factors show a scope of improvement for these services
Medicine (32 works) · Environmental health (18 works) · Nursing (17 works) · Public health (17 works) · Population (14 works) · Economics (11 works) · Global Maternal and Child Health (11 works) · Political science (11 works) · Business (10 works) · Economic growth (10 works)