Digital Commons Network^™

Poliovirus Immunity Among Children Aged 6-11 And 36-48 Months In 14 Polio High-Risk Provinces Of Afghanistan: A Health-Facility-Based Study, Sajid Bashir Soofi, Maureen Martinez, Noha H. Farag, William S. Hendley, Derek Ehrhardt, Imran Ahmed, Imtiaz Hussain, William Weldon, Ahmed M. Kassem

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Afghanistan is one of two countries where wild poliovirus (WPV) type 1 remains endemic. We conducted a facility-based cross-sectional survey of antipoliovirus antibodies in children in 14 provinces of Afghanistan. The provinces were selected based on programmatic priorities for polio eradication. Children aged 6-11 and 36-48 months attending outpatient clinics were enrolled in the study. We collected venous blood, isolated serum, and conducted neutralization assays to detect poliovirus neutralizing antibodies. A total of 2086 children from the 14 provinces were enrolled. Among the enrolled children, 44.3% were girls; the median age in the 6-11-month group was 9.4 months, and in …

Prevalence, Distribution, And Histopathological Features Of Malignant Tumors Reported At Tertiary Level In Afghanistan: A 3-Year Study, Haider Ali Malakzai, Ahmed Maseh Haidary, Saleema A. Gulzar, Mujtaba Haidari, Abdul Sami Ibrahimkhil, Ramin Saadaat, Ahmadullah Hakimi, Sayed Murtaza Sadat Hofiani, Soma Rahmani, Jamshid Abdul Ghafar

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Purpose: Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity, and therefore, tremendous research work is continuously being done around the world with consideration of etiopathogenesis as well as identification of therapeutic targets. Decades of continuous war in Afghanistan has left the medical infrastructure of the country in a miserable situation. There is a serious deficiency in research work in the fields of pathology and oncology at the moment with minimal data available to elaborate about the demographic characteristics of various malignant disorders in the country, which would be indispensable to pave the way for further research and …

The Covid-19 Pandemic: An Opportunity To Strengthen Health Systems In Afghanistan, Umerdad Khudadad, Najibullah Safi, Wafa Aftab, Asrar Ali, Sameen Siddiqi

Department of Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Risk Factors Of Breast Cancer Among Patients In A Tertiary Care Hospitals In Afghanistan: A Case Control Study, Zekrullah Baset, Jamshid Abdul Ghafar, Yasmin Parpio, Ahmed Maseh Haidary

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Background: Breast cancer is the second most common causes of women's death, worldwide. Data on risk factors associated with female breast cancer in the Afghan population is very limited. The aim of our study was to identifying risk factor associated with female breast cancer in Afghanistan.
Methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted with inclusion of 201 cases and 201 controls. Patient information was collected by interviewing the patient through a structured questionnaire. Histopathological information was collected from the hospital integrated laboratory management system. The data was analyzed by using logistic regression with univariate and multivariable analyses to determine the …

Perception Of The Healthcare Professionals Towards The Current Trauma And Emergency Care System In Kabul, Afghanistan: A Mixed Method Study, Umerdad Khudadad, Wafa Aftab, Asrar Ali, Nadeem Ullah Khan, Junaid Razzak, Sameen Siddiqi

Department of Emergency Medicine

Background: Trauma and injury contribute to 11% of the all-cause mortality in Afghanistan. The study aimed to explore the perceptions of the healthcare providers (pre and in-hospital), hospital managers and policy makers of the public and private health sectors to identify the challenges in the provision of an effective trauma care in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Methods: A concurrent mixed method design was used, including key-informant interviews (healthcare providers, hospital managers and policy makers) of the trauma care system (N = 18) and simultaneous structured emergency care system assessment questionnaire (N = 35) from July 15 to September 25, 2019. Interviews were …

Researching The Delivery Of Health And Nutrition Interventions For Women And Children In The Context Of Armed Conflict: Lessons On Research Challenges And Strategies From Branch Consortium Case Studies Of Somalia, Mali, Pakistan And Afghanistan, Michelle F. Gaffey, Anushka Ataullahjan, Jai K. Das, Mohammed Shafiq Mirzazada, Moctar Tounkara, Abdirisak A. Dalmar, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: The BRANCH Consortium recently conducted 10 mixed-methods case studies to investigate the provision of health and nutrition interventions for women and children in conflict-affected countries, aiming to better understand the dominant influences on humanitarian health actors' programmatic decision-making and how such actors surmount intervention delivery barriers. In this paper, the research challenges encountered and the mitigating strategies employed by the case study investigators in four of the BRANCH case study contexts are discussed: Somalia, Mali, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Discussion: Many of the encountered research challenges were anticipated, with investigators adopting mitigation strategies in advance or early on, but others …

Impact Of Conflict On Maternal And Child Health Service Delivery: A Country Case Study Of Afghanistan, Mohammed Shafiq Mirzazada, Zahra Ali Padhani, Sultana Jabeen, Malika Fatima, Arjumand Rizvi, Uzair Ansari, Jai K. Das, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Woman and Child Health

Introduction: Since decades, the health system of Afghanistan has been in disarray due to ongoing conflict. We aimed to explore the direct effects of conflict on provision of reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition (RMNCAH&N) services and describe the contextual factors influencing these services.
Method: We conducted a quantitative analysis of secondary data on RMNCAH&N indicators and undertook a supportive qualitative study to help understand processes and contextual factors. For quantitative analysis, we stratified the various provinces of Afghanistan into minimal-, moderate- and severe conflict categories based on battle-related deaths from Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) and …

Psychosocial Factors Of Deliberate Self-Harm In Afghanistan: A Hospital Based, Matched Case-Control Study, Akbar Paiman, Murad M. Khan Dr., Tazeen S. Ali, Nargis Asad, Iqbal Azam Syed

Department of Psychiatry

Background: Deliberate self-harm is not only a major global public health problem but also an important index of psychological distress and a risk factor for suicide.
Aims: We aimed to determine the psychosocial risk factors for deliberate self-harm in patients aged ≥ 16 years presenting to tertiary care hospitals in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Methods: A matched case-control study was conducted from February 2015 to May 2015. We recruited 185 cases (patients with deliberate self-harm) and 555 age- and sex-matched controls (patients with general medical conditions) from 4 tertiary care hospitals in Kabul. We developed a questionnaire to record the sociodemographic characteristics …

Association Of Exposure To Civil Conflict With Maternal Resilience And Maternal And Child Health And Health System Performance In Afghanistan, Nadia Akseer, Arjumand Rizvi, Zaid Ahmad Bhatti, Jai K. Das, Karl Everett, Aneesa Arur, Mickey Chopra, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Importance: Current studies examining the effects of Afghanistan's conflict transition on the performance of health systems, health service delivery, and health outcomes are outdated and small in scale and do not span all essential reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health interventions.
Objective: To evaluate associations of conflict severity with improvement of health system performance, use of health services, and child nutrition outcomes in Afghanistan during the 2003 to 2018 reconstruction period.
Design, setting, and participants: This population-based survey study included a sequential cross-sectional analysis of individual-level panel data across 2 periods (2003-2010 and 2010-2018) and a difference-in-differences design. Surveys included …

Geospatial Inequalities And Determinants Of Nutritional Status Among Women And Children In Afghanistan: An Observational Study, Nadia Akseer, Zaid Ahmad Bhatti, Taufiq Mashal, Sajid Bashir Soofi, Rahim Moineddin, Robert E Black Md, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Undernutrition is a pervasive condition in Afghanistan, and prevalence is among the highest in the world. We aimed to comprehensively assess district-level geographical disparities and determinants of nutritional status (stunting, wasting, or underweight) among women and children in Afghanistan.
Methods: The study used individualised data from the recent Afghanistan National Nutrition Survey 2013. Outcome variables were based on growth and weight anthropometry data, which we analysed linearly as Z scores and as dichotomous categories. We analysed data from a total of almost 14 000 index mother–child pairs using Bayesian spatial and generalised least squares regression models accounting for the …

We Need Higher Education: Voice Of Nursing Administration From Kabul, Afghanistan, Wais M. Qarani, Rafat Jan, Khwaja M. I. Saeed, Laila Khymani

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Aim: To explore the educational profile of nursing managers and head nurses at public hospitals in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was employed.
Method: A self-administered pre-tested questionnaire was used to recruit 86 nursing managers and head nurses from 17 public hospitals in Kabul. SPSS version 19 was used to analyze and report the data through descriptive statistics.
Results: It was found that, none of the participant was prepared with higher education in nursing; rather they had only diploma in nursing; and 84.9% of them had completed their nursing diploma before 2002.; 11.6% of participants were currently …

Needs And Expectations: A Membership Survey Of The Midwifery Association In Afghanistan, Sabera Turkmani, Cristina De Nicolás, Fatima Gohar, Pashtoon Azfar Zyaee

Journal of Asian Midwives (JAM)

A survey of the Afghan Midwives Association (AMA) members was conducted in April 2013 to determine the profile of the midwifery workforce, and to provide guidance on the professional needs and expectations of midwives in the future. Of the estimated 3,000 members across the country, around 500 participated in the Annual Congress, 400 questionnaires were distributed randomly among participants, and 357 were returned (89% response rate representing 12% of the overall membership).

The results showed that most members are pleased with the Association, and value its work, particularly its ability to advocate on their behalf with the Ministry of Public …

Stop Stunting: Situation And Way Forward To Improve Maternal, Child And Adolescent Nutrition In Afghanistan, Ariel Higgins Steele, Piyali Mustaphi, Sherin Varkey, Humayoun Ludin, Najibullah Safi, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

No abstract provided.

A Qualitative Exploration Of The Emotional Wellbeing And Support Needs Of New Mothers From Afghanistan Living In Melbourne, Australia, Alana Russo, Belinda Lewis, Andrew Joyce, Belinda Crockett, Stanley Luchters

Population Health, East Africa

Background: The Afghan community is a priority population for many health and social services within the southeast region of Melbourne, which is home to the largest population of Afghanistan-born people within the state of Victoria. The majority of Afghan women arriving in Australia are of childbearing age, and evidence suggests that they are at increased risk of emotional challenges following birth as a result of the refugee and migration experience. This research aimed to explored the experiences of Afghan women living in Melbourne throughout pregnancy, birth, and early motherhood, and gain insight into the aspects of their experiences that they …

Strengthening Midwifery Education, Regulation And Association; A Case Study From Afghanistan, Sabera Turkmani, Fatima Gohar, Farida Shah, Saleha Hamnawazada, Pashtoon A. Zyaee

Journal of Asian Midwives (JAM)

Immediately after the fall of the Taliban in 2002, the midwifery system in Afghanistan underwent a massive reform, and Afghanistan has since developed a strong midwifery pre service educational (PSE) system to achieve the relevant MDG goals. Establishment and involvement of professional associations, and partnerships with the government and other key stakeholders have contributed in shared knowledge, resources, and coordinated activities to speed up achieving these goals.

The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) and its partners believe that the midwifery profession needs to be a strong voice in reducing maternal and child mortality. The three pillars of the midwifery profession, …