Aluisio JD Barros
Biographic Data
| ID | 5457041 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Aluisio JD Barros |
| GIVEN NAMES | Aluisio JD |
| FAMILY NAME | Barros |
| SIGNATURE | BARROS A J |
| AFFILIATIONS | Universidade Federal de Pelotas |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 35 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 10 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 35 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1999 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Can unvaccinated children be reached through mobile phones? Analyses of national cross-sectional surveys from 70 countries
Background: Interventions using mobile phones, otherwise known as mHealth interventions, are increasingly being used in low- and middle-income countries to remind families about scheduled child immunisations. Despite this, few studies examined impact on zero-dose children - those who failed to receive a single dose of a routine vaccine. As disparities in mobile phone ownership may limit the effectiveness of mHealth interventions, we assessed asso…
Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: A pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults
BACKGROUND: Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories. METHODS: ). For school-aged children and adolescents, we report thinness (BMI 2 SD above the median). FINDINGS: From 1990 to 20…
Zero-dose children and the extended immunisation cascade: Understanding the path to full immunisation with six childhood vaccines in 43 countries
Background: As part of the Immunisation Agenda 2030, the World Health Organization set a goal to reduce the number of children who did not receive any routine vaccine by 50% by 2030. We aimed to describe the patterns of vaccines received for children with zero, one, and up to full vaccination, while considering newly deployed vaccines (pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) and rotavirus (ROTA) vaccine) alongside longstanding ones such as the Bacil…
Women’s marital status and use of family planning services across male- and female-headed households in low- and middle-income countries
Background: As more households are being led by women, who are often seen as disadvantaged, more attention is being given to the potential association of female household headship with health. We aimed to assess how demand for family planning satisfied by modern methods (mDFPS) is associated with residence in female or male headed households and how this intersects with marital status and sexual activity. Methods: We used data from national healt…
Paving the way to understanding female-headed households: Variation in household composition across 103 low- and middle-income countries
Background: Female-headed households (FHHs) are regarded as disadvantaged. There are multiple social trajectories that can lead to women heading households. It is important to distinguish between these trajectories, as well as societal norms and contextual factors, to understand how and when are FHHs represented as a dimension of gender inequity. Our analysis defines and describes a typology of 16 FHH types (FHH16) based on demographic characteri…
Prelacteal feeding and its relationship with exclusive breastfeeding and formula consumption among infants in low- and middle-income countries
Background: Early feeding practices are important determinants of optimal feeding patterns later in life. We aimed to investigate if giving any fluids or foods other than breast milk during the first three days after birth (prelacteal feeds) affects exclusive breastfeeding and consumption of formula among children under six months of age in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from…
Desigualdades relacionadas con el ODS 3 en la salud de las mujeres, los niños y los adolescentes: Línea de base para el monitoreo de los ODS en América Latina y el Caribe por medio de encuestas transv…
Objetivos. Los países de América Latina y el Caribe han realizado importantes avances hacia la consecución de las metas del Objetivo de Desarrollo Sostenible relacionado con la salud (ODS 3) a escala nacional. Sin embargo, persisten enormes desigualdades en salud en los países. Se presenta una línea de base de las desigualdades en salud en la región, contra la cual se puede monitorear el progreso hacia los ODS. Contexto. Se estudiaron 21 países d…
Worldwide trends in hypertension prevalence and progress in treatment and control from 1990 to 2019: A pooled analysis of 1201 population-representative studies with 104 million participants
BACKGROUND: Hypertension can be detected at the primary health-care level and low-cost treatments can effectively control hypertension. We aimed to measure the prevalence of hypertension and progress in its detection, treatment, and control from 1990 to 2019 for 200 countries and territories. METHODS: We used data from 1990 to 2019 on people aged 30-79 years from population-representative studies with measurement of blood pressure and data on blo…
Is women’s empowerment associated with coverage of RMNCH interventions in low- and middle-income countries? An analysis using a survey-based empowerment indicator, the SWPER
BACKGROUND: Women's empowerment has a strong potential to promote sustainable development. We evaluate the association between women's empowerment and the Composite Coverage Index (CCI), a weighted average of coverage of eight interventions in reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH). We also assess whether these effects are modified by wealth. METHODS: We used Demographic and Health Survey data from 62 low- and middle-income coun…
Influence of maternal pre-pregnancy nutritional status on offspring anthropometric measurements and body composition in three Brazilian Birth Cohorts
Objective: We aimed at evaluating the association of maternal pre-pregnancy nutritional status with offspring anthropometry and body composition. We also evaluated whether these associations were modified by gender, diet and physical activity and mediated by birth weight. Design: Birth cohort study. Setting: Waist circumference was measured with an inextensible tape, and fat and lean mass were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Mult…
Height and body-mass index trajectories of school-aged children and adolescents from 1985 to 2019 in 200 countries and territories: A pooled analysis of 2181 population-based studies with 65 million p…
BACKGROUND: Comparable global data on health and nutrition of school-aged children and adolescents are scarce. We aimed to estimate age trajectories and time trends in mean height and mean body-mass index (BMI), which measures weight gain beyond what is expected from height gain, for school-aged children and adolescents. METHODS: For this pooled analysis, we used a database of cardiometabolic risk factors collated by the Non-Communicable Disease …
Early childhood suspected developmental delay in 63 low- and middle-income countries: Large within- and between-country inequalities documented using national health surveys
Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil. BACKGROUND: The Sustainable Development Goals call for inclusive, equitable and quality learning opportunities for all. This is especially important for children, to ensure they all develop to their full potential. We studied the prevalence and inequalities of suspected delay in child development in 63 low- and middle-income countries. METHODS: We used the early…
The impact of women’s empowerment on their children’s early development in 26 African countries
BACKGROUND: Every year more than 200 million children under-five years fail to achieve their full developmental potential in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Although women ́s empowerment has been associated with improved child health and development outcomes, this is a topic little studied in LMICs. We investigated the associations between women ́s empowerment and early childhood development among a sample population of 84537 children a…
SWPER Global: A survey-based women's empowerment index expanded from Africa to all low- and middle-income countries
In 2017, a survey-based women's empowerment index (SWPER) was proposed for African countries, including three domains: social independence, decision making and attitude to violence. External validity and predictive value of the SWPER has been demonstrated in terms of coverage of maternal and child interventions and use of modern contraception. To determine its value for global monitoring, we explored the applicability of the SWPER in national hea…
Association between availability of children’s book and the literacy-numeracy skills of children aged 36 to 59 months: Secondary analysis of the Unicef Multiple-Indicator Cluster Surveys covering 35 c…
BACKGROUND: Stimulating home environments that have children's books, pictures and play toys facilitate caregiver-child interactions and enhance children's development. Although this has been demonstrated in small-scale intervention studies, it is important to document whether book ownership is beneficial at large scale in low and middle-income settings. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis using data from the multiple-indicator cluster sur…
Time trends in demand for family planning satisfied: Analysis of 73 countries using national health surveys over a 24-year period
BACKGROUND: Universal access to family planning is key to extend its health and economic benefits worldwide. Our aim was to track progress in demand for family planning satisfied with modern methods (mDFPS) and its inequalities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). METHODS: Analyses were based on Demographic and Health Surveys and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys carried out between 1993 and 2017 in 73 LMICs, using data for married women…
Worldwide trends in body-mass index, underweight, overweight, and obesity from 1975 to 2016: A pooled analysis of 2416 population-based measurement studies in 128·9 million children, adolescents, and …
BACKGROUND: Underweight, overweight, and obesity in childhood and adolescence are associated with adverse health consequences throughout the life-course. Our aim was to estimate worldwide trends in mean body-mass index (BMI) and a comprehensive set of BMI categories that cover underweight to obesity in children and adolescents, and to compare trends with those of adults. METHODS: We pooled 2416 population-based studies with measurements of height…
Gender bias in careseeking practices in 57 low– and middle–income countries
BACKGROUND: Preventive and curative medical interventions can reduce child mortality. It is important to assess whether there is gender bias in access to these interventions, which can lead to preferential treatment of children of a given sex. METHODS: Data from Demographic and Health Surveys carried out in 57 low- and middle-income countries were used. The outcome variable was a composite careseeking indicator, which represents the proportion of…
Patterns and determinants of antenatal care utilization: Analysis of national survey data in seven countdown countries
BACKGROUND: Antenatal care (ANC) is critical for improving maternal and newborn health. WHO recommends that pregnant women complete at least four ANC visits. Countdown and other global monitoring efforts track the proportions of women who receive one or more visits by a skilled provider (ANC1+) and four or more visits by any provider (ANC4+). This study investigates patterns of drop-off in use between ANC1+ and ANC4+, and explores inequalities in…
Stability and change in fruit and vegetable intake of Brazilian adolescents over a 3-year period: 1993 Pelotas Birth Cohort
Objective To assess the stability and changes in fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption over a 3-year period during adolescence in a population-based birth cohort. Design Longitudinal descriptive study. FV consumption was collected in 2008 and 2011/12 using an FFQ. We conducted descriptive analyses of medians to assess the trends in FV intake over time. Stability of FV intake was assessed by percentage of agreement and kappa coefficients. Setting P…
Time trends in socio-economic inequalities in stunting prevalence: Analyses of repeated national surveys
Objective Much is known about national trends in child undernutrition, but there is little information on how socio-economic inequalities are evolving over time. We aimed to assess socio-economic inequalities in stunting prevalence over time. Design We selected nationally representative surveys carried out since the mid-1990s for which information was available on asset indices and on child anthropometry. We identified twenty-five countries that …
Every Newborn: Progress, priorities, and potential beyond survival
The double task of preventing malnutrition and overweight: A quasi-experimental community-based trial
Despite finding effect measures pointing to effects in the desired direction related to malnutrition, we could only detect a reduction in the risk of overweight attributable to the intervention. The findings related to obesity prevention may be of interest in the context of the nutritional transition. Given the size of this study, the results are encouraging and we believe a larger study is warranted
How changes in coverage affect equity in maternal and child health interventions in 35 Countdown to 2015 countries: An analysis of national surveys
Equity in maternal, newborn, and child health interventions in Countdown to 2015: A retrospective review of survey data from 54 countries
Experiências de discriminação entre universitários do Rio de Janeiro
OBJETIVO: Compreender experiências de discriminação vividas por jovens universitários e analisar sua aplicação à construção de escala brasileira de discriminação. PROCEDIMENTOS METODOLÓGICOS: Estudo qualitativo realizado com cinco grupos focais com 43 universitários do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, em 2008. Foram selecionados estudantes de cursos com distintas relações candidato/vaga, de ambos os sexos e autoclassificados nas categorias de cor/raça branca,…
Baixa prevalência de déficit de peso para estatura: Comparação de crianças brasileiras com e sem déficit estatural
OBJETIVO: Avaliar a associação entre o perímetro abdominal e o índice peso para estatura em crianças, comparando as médias de índices antropométricos e de proporcionalidade corporal entre crianças pelotenses com e sem déficit linear, peruanas e norte-americanas, por faixa etária. MÉTODOS: Foram estudadas 386 crianças de 6 a 59 meses, residentes em bairro pobre de Pelotas, RS. Foram medidos e calculados 18 índices antropométricos. RESULTADOS E CON…
Baixa prevalência de déficit de peso para estatura: Comparação de crianças brasileiras com e sem déficit estatural
OBJETIVO: Avaliar a associação entre o perímetro abdominal e o índice peso para estatura em crianças, comparando as médias de índices antropométricos e de proporcionalidade corporal entre crianças pelotenses com e sem déficit linear, peruanas e norte-americanas, por faixa etária. MÉTODOS: Foram estudadas 386 crianças de 6 a 59 meses, residentes em bairro pobre de Pelotas, RS. Foram medidos e calculados 18 índices antropométricos. RESULTADOS E CON…
Contraceptivos orais e câncer de mama: Estudo de casos e controles
OBJETIVO: Investigar a associação entre uso de contraceptivos orais (CO) e câncer de mama. MÉTODOS: Identificaram-se 250 casos incidentes de câncer de mama, com 20 a 60 anos de idade, a partir de laboratórios de patologia, e 1.020 controles-hospitalares e de vizinhança. Os controles foram pareados aos casos por idade. A análise ajustada foi realizada por regressão logística condicional para estimar as razões de odds (RO). RESULTADOS: Não se encon…
Alternatives for logistic regression in cross-sectional studies: An empirical comparison of models that directly estimate the prevalence ratio
BACKGROUND: Cross-sectional studies with binary outcomes analyzed by logistic regression are frequent in the epidemiological literature. However, the odds ratio can importantly overestimate the prevalence ratio, the measure of choice in these studies. Also, controlling for confounding is not equivalent for the two measures. In this paper we explore alternatives for modeling data of such studies with techniques that directly estimate the prevalenc…
The challenge of reducing neonatal mortality in middle-income countries: Findings from three Brazilian birth cohorts in 1982, 1993, and 2004
Physical activity and medicine use: Evidence from a population-based study
There are well-documented benefits of physical activity for several chronic diseases in the literature. Data from the present study suggest that medicine use is also positively affected by physical activity behavior
Deaths and years of life lost due to suboptimal breast-feeding among children in the developing world: A global ecological risk assessment
Objective We estimate attributable fractions, deaths and years of life lost among infants and children ≤2 years of age due to suboptimal breast-feeding in developing countries. Design We compare actual practices to a minimum exposure pattern consisting of exclusive breast-feeding for infants ≤6 months of age and continued breast-feeding for older infants and children ≤2 years of age. For infants, we consider deaths due to diarrhoeal disease and l…
Inequities in maternal postnatal visits among public and private patients: 2004 Pelotas cohort study
The postnatal period is the ideal time to deliver interventions to improve the health of both the newborn and the mother. However, postnatal care shows low-level coverage in a large number of countries. The objectives of this study were to: 1) investigate inequities in maternal postnatal visits, 2) examine differences in postnatal care coverage between public and private providers and 3) explore the relationship between the absence of maternal po…
Experiências de discriminação entre universitários do Rio de Janeiro
OBJETIVO: Compreender experiências de discriminação vividas por jovens universitários e analisar sua aplicação à construção de escala brasileira de discriminação. PROCEDIMENTOS METODOLÓGICOS: Estudo qualitativo realizado com cinco grupos focais com 43 universitários do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, em 2008. Foram selecionados estudantes de cursos com distintas relações candidato/vaga, de ambos os sexos e autoclassificados nas categorias de cor/raça branca,…
Childbearing during adolescence and offspring mortality: Findings from three population-based cohorts in southern Brazil
The slightly increased odds of postneonatal mortality among children of adolescent mothers suggest that social and environmental factors may be more important than maternal biologic immaturity
How changes in coverage affect equity in maternal and child health interventions in 35 Countdown to 2015 countries: An analysis of national surveys
Equity in maternal, newborn, and child health interventions in Countdown to 2015: A retrospective review of survey data from 54 countries
Flour fortification with iron has no impact on anaemia in urban Brazilian children
Objective To verify the impact of flour fortification on anaemia in Brazilian children. The survey also investigated the role of Fe deficiency as a cause of anaemia and estimated the bioavailability of the Fe in the children's diet. This local study was complemented by a nationwide survey of the types of Fe compounds added to flour. Design Series of population-based surveys conducted in 2004 (baseline study), 2005, 2006 and 2008. Setting Pelotas,…
The double task of preventing malnutrition and overweight: A quasi-experimental community-based trial
Despite finding effect measures pointing to effects in the desired direction related to malnutrition, we could only detect a reduction in the risk of overweight attributable to the intervention. The findings related to obesity prevention may be of interest in the context of the nutritional transition. Given the size of this study, the results are encouraging and we believe a larger study is warranted
Every Newborn: Progress, priorities, and potential beyond survival
Time trends in socio-economic inequalities in stunting prevalence: Analyses of repeated national surveys
Objective Much is known about national trends in child undernutrition, but there is little information on how socio-economic inequalities are evolving over time. We aimed to assess socio-economic inequalities in stunting prevalence over time. Design We selected nationally representative surveys carried out since the mid-1990s for which information was available on asset indices and on child anthropometry. We identified twenty-five countries that …
Patterns and determinants of antenatal care utilization: Analysis of national survey data in seven countdown countries
BACKGROUND: Antenatal care (ANC) is critical for improving maternal and newborn health. WHO recommends that pregnant women complete at least four ANC visits. Countdown and other global monitoring efforts track the proportions of women who receive one or more visits by a skilled provider (ANC1+) and four or more visits by any provider (ANC4+). This study investigates patterns of drop-off in use between ANC1+ and ANC4+, and explores inequalities in…
Stability and change in fruit and vegetable intake of Brazilian adolescents over a 3-year period: 1993 Pelotas Birth Cohort
Objective To assess the stability and changes in fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption over a 3-year period during adolescence in a population-based birth cohort. Design Longitudinal descriptive study. FV consumption was collected in 2008 and 2011/12 using an FFQ. We conducted descriptive analyses of medians to assess the trends in FV intake over time. Stability of FV intake was assessed by percentage of agreement and kappa coefficients. Setting P…
Worldwide trends in body-mass index, underweight, overweight, and obesity from 1975 to 2016: A pooled analysis of 2416 population-based measurement studies in 128·9 million children, adolescents, and …
BACKGROUND: Underweight, overweight, and obesity in childhood and adolescence are associated with adverse health consequences throughout the life-course. Our aim was to estimate worldwide trends in mean body-mass index (BMI) and a comprehensive set of BMI categories that cover underweight to obesity in children and adolescents, and to compare trends with those of adults. METHODS: We pooled 2416 population-based studies with measurements of height…
Gender bias in careseeking practices in 57 low– and middle–income countries
BACKGROUND: Preventive and curative medical interventions can reduce child mortality. It is important to assess whether there is gender bias in access to these interventions, which can lead to preferential treatment of children of a given sex. METHODS: Data from Demographic and Health Surveys carried out in 57 low- and middle-income countries were used. The outcome variable was a composite careseeking indicator, which represents the proportion of…
Association between availability of children’s book and the literacy-numeracy skills of children aged 36 to 59 months: Secondary analysis of the Unicef Multiple-Indicator Cluster Surveys covering 35 c…
BACKGROUND: Stimulating home environments that have children's books, pictures and play toys facilitate caregiver-child interactions and enhance children's development. Although this has been demonstrated in small-scale intervention studies, it is important to document whether book ownership is beneficial at large scale in low and middle-income settings. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis using data from the multiple-indicator cluster sur…
Time trends in demand for family planning satisfied: Analysis of 73 countries using national health surveys over a 24-year period
BACKGROUND: Universal access to family planning is key to extend its health and economic benefits worldwide. Our aim was to track progress in demand for family planning satisfied with modern methods (mDFPS) and its inequalities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). METHODS: Analyses were based on Demographic and Health Surveys and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys carried out between 1993 and 2017 in 73 LMICs, using data for married women…
Height and body-mass index trajectories of school-aged children and adolescents from 1985 to 2019 in 200 countries and territories: A pooled analysis of 2181 population-based studies with 65 million p…
BACKGROUND: Comparable global data on health and nutrition of school-aged children and adolescents are scarce. We aimed to estimate age trajectories and time trends in mean height and mean body-mass index (BMI), which measures weight gain beyond what is expected from height gain, for school-aged children and adolescents. METHODS: For this pooled analysis, we used a database of cardiometabolic risk factors collated by the Non-Communicable Disease …
Early childhood suspected developmental delay in 63 low- and middle-income countries: Large within- and between-country inequalities documented using national health surveys
Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil. BACKGROUND: The Sustainable Development Goals call for inclusive, equitable and quality learning opportunities for all. This is especially important for children, to ensure they all develop to their full potential. We studied the prevalence and inequalities of suspected delay in child development in 63 low- and middle-income countries. METHODS: We used the early…
The impact of women’s empowerment on their children’s early development in 26 African countries
BACKGROUND: Every year more than 200 million children under-five years fail to achieve their full developmental potential in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Although women ́s empowerment has been associated with improved child health and development outcomes, this is a topic little studied in LMICs. We investigated the associations between women ́s empowerment and early childhood development among a sample population of 84537 children a…
SWPER Global: A survey-based women's empowerment index expanded from Africa to all low- and middle-income countries
In 2017, a survey-based women's empowerment index (SWPER) was proposed for African countries, including three domains: social independence, decision making and attitude to violence. External validity and predictive value of the SWPER has been demonstrated in terms of coverage of maternal and child interventions and use of modern contraception. To determine its value for global monitoring, we explored the applicability of the SWPER in national hea…
Medicine (30 works) · Demography (25 works) · Environmental health (21 works) · Population (17 works) · Global Maternal and Child Health (15 works) · Child Nutrition and Water Access (13 works) · Economic growth (11 works) · Sociology (10 works) · Developing country (9 works) · Economics (9 works)