Caroline Kabiru
Biographic Data
| ID | 188873 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Caroline Kabiru |
| GIVEN NAMES | Caroline |
| FAMILY NAME | Kabiru |
| SIGNATURE | KABIRU C |
| AFFILIATIONS | African Population and Health Research Center |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0735-9839 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 57 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 152 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 57 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 8 |
Disclosure and help-seeking experiences of childhood sexual violence survivors in refugee settings of Ethiopia and Uganda
Disclosure and help-seeking are critical to mitigating the adverse health and social outcomes of sexual violence among survivors. However, evidence regarding these experiences remains scarce in refugee settings. We aimed to examine disclosure and help-seeking experiences among survivors of childhood sexual violence in refugee settings across Ethiopia and Uganda. This study used data from the Humanitarian Violence Against Children Surveys (HVACS) …
Availability and readiness to provide postabortion care in refugee settlements in Uganda: A signal functions analysis
INTRODUCTION: Unsafe abortions contribute to 10% of preventable maternal deaths in Africa, with higher rates in humanitarian settings. In Uganda, home to 1.8 million refugees, women and girls face heightened vulnerabilities, increasing their risk of unsafe abortions. This study assessed the availability and readiness of health facilities serving Uganda's refugee settlements to provide postabortion care (PAC), identifying gaps and opportunities fo…
Exposure to intimate partner violence against women and its association with experiences and perpetration of violence among children and youth in refugee camps in Ethiopia
BACKGROUND: A substantial body of research has established a positive association between exposure to intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) and childhood experiences of violence. However, limited evidence exists on this association in Ethiopia, particularly within humanitarian settings, where children and youth face compounded vulnerabilities. This paper examines the association between witnessing IPVAW during childhood and experiences …
Multilevel correlates of childhood violence in refugee settings: Findings from the Ethiopia humanitarian violence against children and youth survey
BACKGROUND: Despite their right to protection, children in refugee settings face various forms of violence, including physical, sexual, and emotional violence. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the factors associated with childhood violence (before turning 18) in refugee settings of Ethiopia, guided by the socioecological framework. METHODS: The study used data from the 2024 Ethiopia Humanitarian Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (HVACS). T…
Stakeholder perspectives on adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights in Malawi: Barriers, incentives, and opportunities for reform
Social norms, institutional weaknesses, and gaps between policy commitments and implementation in Malawi continue to pose significant barriers to adolescents' realisation of their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Early marriage, gender-based violence, and limited access to contraception and comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) undermine adolescents' wellbeing and future opportunities. This qualitative study examines how actor …
Childhood exposure to intimate partner violence against women and its association with violence against children in refugee settlements in Uganda
Witnessing IPVAW in childhood is common in refugee settlements in Uganda and is strongly associated with experiencing VAC perpetrated by a caregiver. Violence prevention and response programs should pay attention to IPVAW as a risk factor for VAC, emphasizing integrated approaches that target both forms of violence within households
Estimating the incidence of induced abortion among women in refugee settings in Ethiopia
The study found that abortion incidence is high among women in refugee settings in Ethiopia, and only a small proportion of induced abortions were conducted through SAC services. There is an urgent need to improve family planning, SAC, and PAC services in refugee camps
Experiences of childhood violence and violence perpetration and the association with inequitable gender norms and violence justification in humanitarian settings in Uganda
Experiences of childhood violence and violence perpetration and the association with inequitable gender norms and violence justification have been extensively studied in non-humanitarian settings, and among older populations. However, there is a gap in understanding these associations within humanitarian contexts, particularly from the perspective of children and youth. We used data from the Uganda Humanitarian Violence Against Children and Youth…
Magnitude, trends, transitions, and drivers of the double burden of malnutrition among adolescent girls in urban slums, Kenya: Findings from a longitudinal study (2017–2019)
The prevalence of overweight/obesity, as well as transitions to overweight/obesity were higher compared to undernutrition (stunting and thinness). Double-duty and multi-sectoral interventions that consider demographic (family, ethnicity), environmental (neighbourhood, school), and psychosocial (ACE, depression score) factors that may drive DBM in adolescent girls living in urban slums are recommended, to address DBM and reverse the growing trend …
“My father insisted that I have the baby but not in his house”: Adolescent pregnancy, social exclusion and (dis)empowerment of girls in an urban informal settlement in Kenya
While the drivers of adolescent pregnancy are widely studied, few studies have examined the social exclusions associated with early and unintended pregnancy. Drawing data from a larger mixed methods study on the lived experiences of pregnant and parenting adolescents and guided by Amatya Sen’s social exclusion framework, this qualitative explanatory study examines how poverty and the contestation around girls’ access to comprehensive sexuality ed…
Single Motherhood and Stress in a Kenyan Slum: The Importance of Paternal and Kin Support
This study examines factors underlying single mothers' stress in an African slum. Using survey data from 1,221 mothers in a Kenyan informal settlement, this study examines 1) whether single mothers experience more stress due to their demographic and socioeconomic characteristics; 2) whether financial and child care support from kin offsets limited support from fathers; and 3) whether variation in the type and source of support explains stress dif…
Adolescents’ experience of mistreatment and abuse during childbirth: A cross-sectional community survey in a low-income informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya
BACKGROUND: Adolescent girls in Africa have poorer maternal health outcomes than older women partly because they are less likely to access antenatal and facility-based delivery care. Mistreatment and abuse of adolescents during facility-based childbirth can further negatively impact their use of maternal healthcare services. Yet studies on this topic are limited. As a result, patterns of mistreatment and abuse, their association with care satisfa…
Persistence of female genital mutilation/cutting in two Kenyan communities: What can we learn from change that falls short of abandonment
Literature on dynamics of change in female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) portray two common but conflicting views. On one side, FGM/C is seen as static and deeply entrenched, with parents lacking agency to interpret culture, evaluate options and adopt changes. An alternative perspective focuses on the fluidity of social norms, influencing whether and how FGM/C is practised. This study asks: in counties where FGM/C persists at high rates, Kis…
Plurality of beliefs about female genital mutilation amidst decades of intervention programming in Narok and Kisii Counties, Kenya
Female genital mutilation derails efforts to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of girls and women. In Kenya, national estimates show a steady decline in prevalence, although there is considerable variation at the sub-national level. There is a need to better understand female genital mutilation-related norms and meanings and whether there have been changes in these given long-term and diverse efforts to promote abandonment. Focusing on …
Conceptualisations of masculinity and sexual development among boys and young men in Korogocho slum in Kenya
Youth and adolescence are times when young men negotiate their identity in relation to social and cultural expectations of being a man, with enduring implications for sexual health and wellbeing. This study explored how boys aged 10-14 years living in Korogocho slum in Nairobi, Kenya conceptualised masculinity, their perceptions of how masculinities are performed, and the linkage between conceptualisations of masculinity and sexual development. T…
Co-created research agenda to support advocacy toward social inclusion for sexual and gender minorities in sub-Saharan Africa
Advocacy actors play a unique role in promoting changes in policy, legal, and social environments for sexual and gender minorities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, their efforts may be hampered by limited incorporation of evidence because there is a massive gulf between what researchers focus on and what evidence users need. Together with fifty key stakeholders across SSA, we—a team of researchers and policy engagement specialists—co-created…
Cocreated regional research agenda for evidence-informed policy and advocacy to improve adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights in sub-Saharan Africa
box The sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region has one of the poorest adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH) indicators, and a multiplicity of structural and sociocultural factors contribute to these poor adolescent SRH outcomes.1–3 Prevailing sociocultural and religious beliefs characterise adolescent sexuality as a taboo.4 5 As a result, interventions or policies aiming to improve adolescent SRH outcomes face significant opposition.6
Adolescent sexual and reproductive health research in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review of substantive focus, research volume, geographic distribution and Africa-led inquiry
BACKGROUND: Previous review studies have not systematically mapped the existing body of knowledge on adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Our scoping review addresses this gap by examining how the body of research on ASRH in SSA has evolved over the past decade, and its present profile, in terms of trends in volume, geographic and substantive focus, and Africa-led inquiry. METHODS: We used a three-step sea…
Exploring barriers to seeking health care among Kenyan Somali women with female genital mutilation: A qualitative study
BACKGROUND: Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is a cultural practice associated with health consequences, women rights and deprivation of dignity. Despite FGM/C-related health consequences, circumcised women may encounter additional challenges while seeking interventions for reproductive health problems. Experiences of women/girls while accessing health services for reproductive health problems including FGM/C-related complications in poo…
Measurement of the sexual health and wellbeing of women who have undergone female genital mutilation/Cutting: A scoping review
Objective: We conducted a scoping review to identify and assess instruments used to measure sexual health and wellbeing in women who have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). Method: We retrieved and assessed 10 validated instruments using an 18-item checklist derived from the Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Status Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) checklist. Results: All instruments were developed and initial…
The Impact of Childcare on Poor Urban Women’s Economic Empowerment in Africa
Despite evidence from other regions, researchers and policy-makers remain skeptical that women’s disproportionate childcare responsibilities act as a significant barrier to women’s economic empowerment in Africa. This randomized control trial study in an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, demonstrates that limited access to affordable early childcare inhibits poor urban women’s participation in paid work. Women who were offered vouchers for s…
Evaluating the impact of the DREAMS partnership to reduce HIV incidence among adolescent girls and young women in four settings: A study protocol
DREAMS is, to date, the most ambitious effort to scale-up combinations or 'packages' of multi-sectoral interventions for HIV prevention. Evidence of its effectiveness in reducing HIV incidence among AGYW, and demonstrating which aspects of the lives of AGYW were changed, will offer valuable lessons for replication
Yeah, I’ve grown; I can’t go out anymore’: Differences in perceived risks between girls and boys entering adolescence
This analysis is based on data from the Global Early Adolescent Study, which aims to understand the factors that predispose young people aged 10-14 years to positive or negative health trajectories. Specifically, interview transcripts from 202 adolescents and 191 parents across six diverse urban sites (Baltimore, Ghent, Nairobi, Ile Ife, Assuit and Shanghai) were analysed to compare the perceived risks associated with entering adolescence and how…
Inexperienced’? Patterns in romantic and sexual experiences among urban poor early adolescents in Nairobi, Kenya
The need for early prevention approaches to improve young people's sexual and reproductive health is gaining attention, yet little is known about the sexual experiences of early adolescents aged 10-14 years. Drawing on cross-sectional survey data collected from 365 early adolescents in a Nairobi slum, we used latent class analysis to identify subgroups based on self-reported awareness about sex and involvement in romantic and sexual activities. M…
Balancing paid work and child care in a slum of Nairobi, Kenya: The case for centre-based child care
As a growing number of women across sub-Saharan Africa engage in paid work, they face the challenge of finding suitable child care arrangements. Drawing on survey data from over 1,200 mothers and in-depth interviews with 31 of these women, we find that mothers living in a slum of Nairobi, Kenya, employ three main strategies to balance their work and child care responsibilities: (1) combine work and child care, (2) rely on kin and neighbours, or (…
Who Helps Single Mothers in Nairobi? The Role of Kin Support
Single mothers often turn to their extended kin for financial assistance and to help with child care. Such support may be especially important in areas of high poverty and poor environmental conditions. Using novel kinship data, this article assesses the extent of support given by more than 3,000 relatives to 462 single mothers living in a slum area of Nairobi, Kenya. Contrary to stereotypes about families in sub-Saharan Africa, the active kin ne…
Moving beyond the household: Innovations in data collection on kinship
Across settings, it has been shown that the co-residential household is an insufficient measure of family structure and support. However, it continues to be the primary means of population data collection. To address this problem, we developed a new instrument, the Kinship Support Tree (KST), to collect kinship structure and support data on co-residential and non-residential kin and tested it on a sample of 462 single mothers and their children i…
Relationship Transitions Among Youth in Urban Kenya
The process of courtship and marriage in sub-Saharan Africa has changed remarkably. These changes, however, have received scant attention because recent research has focused on adolescent relationships' links to HIV/AIDS rather than to marriage. Drawing on detailed reports of 1,365 romantic and sexual partnerships from youths in Kisumu, Kenya, we found that marital aspirations, school enrollment, emotional attraction, pregnancy, and independence …
Making Sense of Marriage: Gender and the Transition to Adulthood in Nairobi, Kenya
Objective:The objective of this study was to examine how young people in Nairobi, Kenya, are making sense of marriage, both in terms of their own lives and its social significance.Background:In many sub-Saharan African communities, marriage has been a fundamental marker of the transition to adulthood. However, union formation is changing, particularly in urban areas-partnering is occurring later and nonmarital cohabitation is increasingly common …
Kin support and child health: Investigating two approaches in an African slum
Trends in childhood mortality in Kenya: The urban advantage has seemingly been wiped out
The narrowing gap between urban and rural areas may be attributed to the deplorable living conditions in urban slums. To reduce childhood mortality, extra emphasis is needed on the urban slums
Growing Up at the “Margins”: Concerns, Aspirations, and Expectations of Young People Living in Nairobi's Slums
We explore the concerns, challenges, aspirations, and expectations of sub-Saharan African youth, and investigate how these youth cope with neighborhood constraints to aspiration achievement. We draw on cross-sectional survey data from 4033 12-22 year olds (50.3% males) from two Kenyan urban slums and subsequent in-depth interviews conducted with a subset of 75 youth when they were 13-24 years old (45.3% male). We observe that despite the challeng…
The Impact of Childcare on Poor Urban Women’s Economic Empowerment in Africa
Despite evidence from other regions, researchers and policy-makers remain skeptical that women’s disproportionate childcare responsibilities act as a significant barrier to women’s economic empowerment in Africa. This randomized control trial study in an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, demonstrates that limited access to affordable early childcare inhibits poor urban women’s participation in paid work. Women who were offered vouchers for s…
Timing and Sequencing of Events Marking the Transition to Adulthood in Two Informal Settlements in Nairobi, Kenya
Young people living in poor urban informal settlements face unique challenges as they transition to adulthood. This exploratory paper uses retrospective information from the baseline survey of a 3-year prospective study to examine the timing and sequencing of four key markers (first sex, marriage, birth, and independent housing) of the transition to adulthood among 3,944 adolescents in two informal settlements in Nairobi city, Kenya. Event histor…
Transition into first sex among adolescents in slum and non-slum communities in Nairobi, Kenya
While early sexual experiences are a key marker of the transition from childhood to adulthood, it is widely acknowledged that precocious initiation of sexual activity predisposes adolescents to negative health and psychological outcomes. Extant studies investigating adolescent sexuality in sub-Saharan Africa often rely on cross-sectional data lacking information on the social-psychological underpinnings of adolescent behavior. Through the theoret…
Contraceptive Adoption, Discontinuation, and Switching among Postpartum Women in Nairobi's Urban Slums
Unmet need for contraception is highest within 12 months post‐delivery, according to research. Using longitudinal data from the Nairobi Urban Health and Demographic Surveillance System, we assess the dynamics of contraceptive use during the postpartum period among women in Nairobi's slums. Results show that by 6 months postpartum, 83 percent of women had resumed sexual activity and 51 percent had resumed menses, yet only 49 percent had adopted a …
Balancing paid work and child care in a slum of Nairobi, Kenya: The case for centre-based child care
As a growing number of women across sub-Saharan Africa engage in paid work, they face the challenge of finding suitable child care arrangements. Drawing on survey data from over 1,200 mothers and in-depth interviews with 31 of these women, we find that mothers living in a slum of Nairobi, Kenya, employ three main strategies to balance their work and child care responsibilities: (1) combine work and child care, (2) rely on kin and neighbours, or (…
Method‐Specific Attributes that Influence Choice of Future Contraception Among Married Women in Nairobi's Informal Settlements
Despite an extensive evidence base on contraceptive method choice, it remains uncertain which factors are most influential in predisposing women toward certain methods and against others. This paper addresses this gap in knowledge by making use of rarely‐measured perceptions about specific methods, perceived social network experience of methods, and women's own past experiences using specific methods. We draw on baseline data from the project, “ …
Adolescent Problem Behavior in Nairobi's Informal Settlements: Applying Problem Behavior Theory in Sub-Saharan Africa
Adolescent involvement in problem behaviors can compromise health, development, and successful transition to adulthood. The present study explores the appropriateness of a particular theoretical framework, Problem Behavior Theory, to account for variation in problem behavior among adolescents in informal settlements around a large, rapidly urbanizing city in sub-Saharan Africa. Data were collected from samples of never married adolescents of both…
Single Motherhood and Stress in a Kenyan Slum: The Importance of Paternal and Kin Support
This study examines factors underlying single mothers' stress in an African slum. Using survey data from 1,221 mothers in a Kenyan informal settlement, this study examines 1) whether single mothers experience more stress due to their demographic and socioeconomic characteristics; 2) whether financial and child care support from kin offsets limited support from fathers; and 3) whether variation in the type and source of support explains stress dif…
Material deprivation and unemployment affect coercive sex among young people in the urban slums of Blantyre, Malawi: A multi-level approach
We explore relations among material deprivation (measured by insufficient housing, food insecurity and poor healthcare access), socio-economic status (employment, income and education) and coercive sex. A binary logistic multi-level model is used in the estimation of data from a survey of 1071 young people aged 18-23 years, undertaken between June and July 2013, in the urban slums of Blantyre, Malawi. For young men, unemployment was associated wi…
Building capacity for public and population health research in Africa: The consortium for advanced research training in Africa (Carta) model
BACKGROUND: Globally, sub-Saharan Africa bears the greatest burden of disease. Strengthened research capacity to understand the social determinants of health among different African populations is key to addressing the drivers of poor health and developing interventions to improve health outcomes and health systems in the region. Yet, the continent clearly lacks centers of research excellence that can generate a strong evidence base to address th…
The correlates of HIV testing and impacts on sexual behavior: Evidence from a life history study of young people in Kisumu, Kenya
The high rate of pregnancy at first test suggests that promotion of HIV testing as part of prevention of mother-to-child transmission is gaining success. Further research is warranted to examine how and why behavior change is influenced by client- versus provider-initiated testing. The influence of different sexual partnership variables for males and females suggests that interventions to assess risk and promote testing should be gender- and rela…
Transition into first sex among adolescents in slum and non-slum communities in Nairobi, Kenya
While early sexual experiences are a key marker of the transition from childhood to adulthood, it is widely acknowledged that precocious initiation of sexual activity predisposes adolescents to negative health and psychological outcomes. Extant studies investigating adolescent sexuality in sub-Saharan Africa often rely on cross-sectional data lacking information on the social-psychological underpinnings of adolescent behavior. Through the theoret…
Adolescent Problem Behavior in Nairobi's Informal Settlements: Applying Problem Behavior Theory in Sub-Saharan Africa
Adolescent involvement in problem behaviors can compromise health, development, and successful transition to adulthood. The present study explores the appropriateness of a particular theoretical framework, Problem Behavior Theory, to account for variation in problem behavior among adolescents in informal settlements around a large, rapidly urbanizing city in sub-Saharan Africa. Data were collected from samples of never married adolescents of both…
Relationship Transitions Among Youth in Urban Kenya
The process of courtship and marriage in sub-Saharan Africa has changed remarkably. These changes, however, have received scant attention because recent research has focused on adolescent relationships' links to HIV/AIDS rather than to marriage. Drawing on detailed reports of 1,365 romantic and sexual partnerships from youths in Kisumu, Kenya, we found that marital aspirations, school enrollment, emotional attraction, pregnancy, and independence …
Do Men and Women Report Their Sexual Partnerships Differently? Evidence from Kisumu, Kenya
CONTEXT: It is generally believed that men and women misreport their sexual behaviors, which undermines the ability of researchers, program designers and health care providers to assess whether these behaviors compromise individuals' sexual and reproductive health. METHODS: Data on 1,299 recent sexual partnerships were collected in a 2007 survey of 1,275 men and women aged 18-24 and living in Kisumu, Kenya. Chi-square and t tests were used to exa…
HIV/Aids among youth in urban informal (slum) settlements in Kenya: What are the correlates of and motivations for HIV testing
Targeted interventions to help young people correctly assess their level of risk and to increase awareness of the potential value of HIV testing may help enhance uptake of testing services. Given the relative success of Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) services in increasing HIV testing rates among females, routine provider-initiated testing and counseling among all clients visiting medical facilities may provide an important av…
Timing and Sequencing of Events Marking the Transition to Adulthood in Two Informal Settlements in Nairobi, Kenya
Young people living in poor urban informal settlements face unique challenges as they transition to adulthood. This exploratory paper uses retrospective information from the baseline survey of a 3-year prospective study to examine the timing and sequencing of four key markers (first sex, marriage, birth, and independent housing) of the transition to adulthood among 3,944 adolescents in two informal settlements in Nairobi city, Kenya. Event histor…
Emotional and Psychosocial Aspects of Menstrual Poverty in Resource-Poor Settings: A Qualitative Study of the Experiences of Adolescent Girls in an Informal Settlement in Nairobi
We introduce the concept of "menstrual poverty" to categorize the multiple deprivations relating to menstruation in resource-poor settings across the Global South, and we examine how this affects the psychological well-being of adolescent girls in an urban informal settlement in Kenya. We use qualitative data collected through 34 in-depth interviews and 18 focus group discussions with girls, women, and key informants. Menstrual poverty involved p…
Entry Into Motherhood Among Adolescent Girls in Two Informal Settlements in Nairobi, Kenya
The contribution of adolescents' childbearing to total fertility rates in many sub-Saharan African countries is higher than in other parts of the world. In this paper, data collected from 897 female adolescents aged 15–19 years are analysed to investigate patterns and determinants of entry into motherhood in two informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya, using Kaplan–Meier estimates and Cox regression models. About 15% of these adolescents have had …
Predictors of Sexual Debut Among Young Adolescents in Nairobi’s Informal Settlements
CONTEXT: There is a need to better understand the various social, psychosocial and behavioral factors associated with sexual activity among young adolescents in various settings in Sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: Data were drawn from Wave 1 (2007-2008) and Wave 2 (2009) of the Transition to Adulthood study, which collected information about key markers of the transition to adulthood and social, demographic and psychosocial characteristics of male an…
The health and wellbeing of young people in sub-Saharan Africa: An under-researched area
A third of sub-Saharan Africa's (SSA) population comprises persons aged 10-24 years. These youth are growing up in a context marked by pervasive poverty, limited educational opportunities, high HIV/AIDS prevalence, widespread conflict, and weak social controls. Published research on the broad issues that affect youth health and wellbeing in SSA is limited and centers heavily on sexual and reproductive health. In this commentary, we provide a broa…
Bringing Sexual and Reproductive Health in the Urban Contexts to the Forefront of the Development Agenda: The Case for Prioritizing the Urban Poor
Estimates suggest that over 90 % of population increase in the least developed countries over the next four decades will occur in urban areas. These increases will be driven both by natural population growth and rural-urban migration. Moreover, despite its status as the world's least urbanized region, the urban population in the sub-Saharan Africa region is projected to increase from under 40 % currently to over 60 % by 2050. Currently, approxima…
Growing Up at the “Margins”: Concerns, Aspirations, and Expectations of Young People Living in Nairobi's Slums
We explore the concerns, challenges, aspirations, and expectations of sub-Saharan African youth, and investigate how these youth cope with neighborhood constraints to aspiration achievement. We draw on cross-sectional survey data from 4033 12-22 year olds (50.3% males) from two Kenyan urban slums and subsequent in-depth interviews conducted with a subset of 75 youth when they were 13-24 years old (45.3% male). We observe that despite the challeng…
Maternal health care utilization in Nairobi and Ouagadougou: Evidence from HDSS
BACKGROUND: Maternal mortality is higher and skilled attendance at delivery is lower in the slums of Nairobi (Kenya) compared to Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). Lower numbers of public health facilities, greater distance to facilities, and higher costs of maternal health services in Nairobi could explain these differences. OBJECTIVE: By comparing the use of maternal health care services among women with similar characteristics in the two cities, we w…
Trends in childhood mortality in Kenya: The urban advantage has seemingly been wiped out
The narrowing gap between urban and rural areas may be attributed to the deplorable living conditions in urban slums. To reduce childhood mortality, extra emphasis is needed on the urban slums
The role of material deprivation and consumerism in the decisions to engage in transactional sex among young people in the urban slums of Blantyre, Malawi
Transactional sex has been associated with a high risk of HIV acquisition and unintended pregnancy among young women in urban slums in sub-Saharan Africa. However, few studies have explored the structural drivers of transactional sex from the perspective of both genders in these settings. This paper explores how young men and women understand the factors that lead to transactional sex among their peers, and how deprivation of material resources (…
Factors associated with appropriate home management of uncomplicated malaria in children in Kassena-Nankana district of Ghana and implications for community case management of childhood illness: A cro…
Half of caregivers who used antimalarial drugs practiced appropriate HMM. Educational status and utilisation of hospitals in previous illness were associated with appropriate HMM. Health education programmes that promote the use of the current first line antimalarial drugs in the appropriate regimen should be targeted at caregivers with no education in order to improve HMM in communities where parasitological diagnosis of malaria may not be feasi…
Household food (in)security and nutritional status of urban poor children aged 6 to 23 months in Kenya
Our results shed light on the joint effect of food security and wealth status on stunting. Study findings underscore the need for social protection policies to reduce the high rates of child malnutrition in the urban informal settlements
Material deprivation and unemployment affect coercive sex among young people in the urban slums of Blantyre, Malawi: A multi-level approach
We explore relations among material deprivation (measured by insufficient housing, food insecurity and poor healthcare access), socio-economic status (employment, income and education) and coercive sex. A binary logistic multi-level model is used in the estimation of data from a survey of 1071 young people aged 18-23 years, undertaken between June and July 2013, in the urban slums of Blantyre, Malawi. For young men, unemployment was associated wi…
Contraceptive Adoption, Discontinuation, and Switching among Postpartum Women in Nairobi's Urban Slums
Unmet need for contraception is highest within 12 months post‐delivery, according to research. Using longitudinal data from the Nairobi Urban Health and Demographic Surveillance System, we assess the dynamics of contraceptive use during the postpartum period among women in Nairobi's slums. Results show that by 6 months postpartum, 83 percent of women had resumed sexual activity and 51 percent had resumed menses, yet only 49 percent had adopted a …
The Adolescent Girls Initiative-Kenya (AGI-K): Study protocol
ISRCTN77455458 , December 24, 2015
Predictors of Poor Pregnancy Outcomes Among Antenatal Care Attendees in Primary Health Care Facilities in Cross River State, Nigeria: A Multilevel Model
Objectives Pregnancy carries a high risk for millions of women and varies by urban-rural location in Nigeria, a country with the second highest maternal deaths in the world. Addressing multilevel predictors of poor pregnancy outcomes among antenatal care (ANC) attendees in primary health care (PHC) facilities could reduce the high maternal mortality rate in Nigeria. This study utilised the "Risk Approach" strategy to (1) compare the risks of poor…
Building the capacity to solve complex health challenges in sub-Saharan Africa: Carta’S multidisciplinary PhD training
Violence victimisation and aspirations–expectations disjunction among adolescent girls in urban Kenya
Violence victimization is a key threat to adolescents’ well-being in urban slums in sub-Saharan Africa. We examined the association between violence victimization and aspiration–expectations disjunction using cross-sectional data from 2360 girls aged 11–15 years in a slum settlement in Nairobi, Kenya. We conducted bivariate and multivariate analyses to assess the association between violence victimization and aspirations–expectations disjunction,…
Medicine (35 works) · Population (35 works) · Sociology (35 works) · Environmental health (29 works) · Psychology (29 works) · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (27 works) · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare (26 works) · Demography (24 works) · Political science (22 works) · Economic growth (21 works)