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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Why Are The Pakistani Maternal, Fetal And Newborn Outcomes So Poor Compared To Other Low And Middle-Income Countries?, Aleha Aziz, Sarah Saleem, Tracy L. Nolen, Nousheen Akber Pradhan, Elizabeth M. Mcclure, Saleem Jessani, Ana L. Garces, Patricia L. Hibberd, Janet L. Moore, Sameen Siddiqi
Why Are The Pakistani Maternal, Fetal And Newborn Outcomes So Poor Compared To Other Low And Middle-Income Countries?, Aleha Aziz, Sarah Saleem, Tracy L. Nolen, Nousheen Akber Pradhan, Elizabeth M. Mcclure, Saleem Jessani, Ana L. Garces, Patricia L. Hibberd, Janet L. Moore, Sameen Siddiqi
Community Health Sciences
Background: Pakistan has among the poorest pregnancy outcomes worldwide, significantly worse than many other low-resource countries. The reasons for these differences are not clear. In this study, we compared pregnancy outcomes in Pakistan to other low-resource countries and explored factors that might help explain these differences.
Methods: The Global Network (GN) Maternal Newborn Health Registry (MNHR) is a prospective, population-based observational study that includes all pregnant women and their pregnancy outcomes in defined geographic communities in six low-middle income countries (India, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala, Kenya, Zambia). Study staff enroll women in early pregnancy and follow-up soon after …
Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices Towards Covid-19 Among Pakistani Residents: Information Access And Low Literacy Vulnerabilities, Zafar Fatmi, Shafaq Mahmood, Waqas Hameed, Ibtisam Qazi, Muhammad Siddiqui, Anny Dhanwani, Sameen Siddiqi
Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices Towards Covid-19 Among Pakistani Residents: Information Access And Low Literacy Vulnerabilities, Zafar Fatmi, Shafaq Mahmood, Waqas Hameed, Ibtisam Qazi, Muhammad Siddiqui, Anny Dhanwani, Sameen Siddiqi
Community Health Sciences
Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has accentuated the need for speedy access to information. Digital divide and socio-demographic disparity create an information hiatus and therefore unhealthy practices with regard to dealing with COVID-19, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Aims: We assessed knowledge, attitudes, practices and their determinants regarding COVID-19 in Pakistan during March-April 2020.
Methods: 905 adults ≥18 years (males and females) participated: 403 from a web-based survey; 365 from an urban survey; and 137 from a rural survey. Frequency of adequate knowledge, attitudes and practices for the three populations was determined based on available global guidelines. Multivariable logistic regression …
Reproductive Health Care In The Time Of Covid-19: Perspectives Of Poor Women And Service Providers From Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Iram Kamran, Tahira Parveen, Rehan M. Niazi, Irfan Masood
Reproductive Health Care In The Time Of Covid-19: Perspectives Of Poor Women And Service Providers From Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Iram Kamran, Tahira Parveen, Rehan M. Niazi, Irfan Masood
Reproductive Health
This study was conducted by the Population Council in Rahim Yar Khan district of Punjab, with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), to uncover urgently needed evidence about the challenges and needs of poor women and health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 200 poor women—beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), one of the largest social protection programs in the world—and 60 public and private sector health care providers participated in this investigation of BISP beneficiaries’ knowledge of COVID-19, the effects of the pandemic on their lives, mental health and wellbeing, and their access …
An Artificial Intelligence-Based, Personalized Smartphone App To Improve Childhood Immunization Coverage And Timelines Among Children In Pakistan: Protocol For A Randomized Controlled Trial, Abdul Momin Kazi, Saad Ahmed Qazi, Sadori Khawaja, Nazia Ahsan, Rao Moueed Ahmed, Muhammad Ayub Khan Mughal, Hussain Kalimuddin, Yasir Rauf, Mehreen Raza, Saima Jamal
An Artificial Intelligence-Based, Personalized Smartphone App To Improve Childhood Immunization Coverage And Timelines Among Children In Pakistan: Protocol For A Randomized Controlled Trial, Abdul Momin Kazi, Saad Ahmed Qazi, Sadori Khawaja, Nazia Ahsan, Rao Moueed Ahmed, Muhammad Ayub Khan Mughal, Hussain Kalimuddin, Yasir Rauf, Mehreen Raza, Saima Jamal
Department of Paediatrics and Child Health
Background: The immunization uptake rates in Pakistan are much lower than desired. Major reasons include lack of awareness, parental forgetfulness regarding schedules, and misinformation regarding vaccines. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and distancing measures, routine childhood immunization (RCI) coverage has been adversely affected, as caregivers avoid tertiary care hospitals or primary health centers. Innovative and cost-effective measures must be taken to understand and deal with the issue of low immunization rates. However, only a few smartphone-based interventions have been carried out in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to improve RCI.
Objective: The primary objectives of this study are to …
Typhoid And Paratyphoid Cost Of Illness In Pakistan: Patient And Health Facility Costs From The Surveillance For Enteric Fever In Asia Project Ii, Nelly Mejia, Farah Naz Qamar, Mohammad Tahir Yousafzai, Jamal Raza, Denise O. Garrett, Kashmira Date, Taiwo Abimbola, Sarah W. Pallas
Typhoid And Paratyphoid Cost Of Illness In Pakistan: Patient And Health Facility Costs From The Surveillance For Enteric Fever In Asia Project Ii, Nelly Mejia, Farah Naz Qamar, Mohammad Tahir Yousafzai, Jamal Raza, Denise O. Garrett, Kashmira Date, Taiwo Abimbola, Sarah W. Pallas
Department of Paediatrics and Child Health
Background: The objective of this study was to estimate the cost of illness from enteric fever (typhoid and paratyphoid) at selected sites in Pakistan.
Methods: We implemented a cost-of-illness study in 4 hospitals as part of the Surveillance for Enteric Fever in Asia Project (SEAP) II in Pakistan. From the patient and caregiver perspective, we collected direct medical, nonmedical, and indirect costs per case of enteric fever incurred since illness onset by phone after enrollment and 6 weeks later. From the health care provider perspective, we collected data on quantities and prices of resources used at 3 of the hospitals, …
Hemoglobin Concentrations And Adverse Birth Outcomes In South Asian Pregnant Women: Findings From A Prospective Maternal And Neonatal Health Registry, Sumera Aziz Ali, Shiyam Sunder Tikmani, Sarah Saleem, Archana B. Patel, Patricia L. Hibberd, Shivaprasad S. Goudar, Sangappa Dhaded, Richard J. Derman, Janet L. Moore, Elizabeth M. Mcclure, Robert L. Goldenberg
Hemoglobin Concentrations And Adverse Birth Outcomes In South Asian Pregnant Women: Findings From A Prospective Maternal And Neonatal Health Registry, Sumera Aziz Ali, Shiyam Sunder Tikmani, Sarah Saleem, Archana B. Patel, Patricia L. Hibberd, Shivaprasad S. Goudar, Sangappa Dhaded, Richard J. Derman, Janet L. Moore, Elizabeth M. Mcclure, Robert L. Goldenberg
Community Health Sciences
Background: While the relationship between hemoglobin (Hb) concentrations and pregnancy outcomes has been studied often, most reports have focused on a specific Hb cutoff used to define anemia. Fewer studies have evaluated pregnancy outcomes across the entire range of Hb values. Moreover, to date, most studies of the relationship of Hb concentrations to pregnancy outcomes have been done in high-income countries. Thus, we have sought to determine the relationship between the range of maternal Hb concentrations and adverse birth outcomes among South Asian pregnant women.
Methods: For this study, we used data collected from two South Asian countries (Pakistan - …
Best Bets: Vouchers For Rights-Based, Voluntary Family Planning—International Evidence On Financing Of Family Planning, Benjamin Bellows, Moazzam Ali, Ali M. Mir
Best Bets: Vouchers For Rights-Based, Voluntary Family Planning—International Evidence On Financing Of Family Planning, Benjamin Bellows, Moazzam Ali, Ali M. Mir
Reproductive Health
To meet the FP2020 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), significant investments are required by countries and donors in priority areas, including sustainable financing, reaching all adolescents, expanding availability of services to the poorest and hard-to-reach populations, and improving the quality and increasing the range of methods available. Studies show that vouchers can substantially contribute to SDG goals by expanding contraceptive access and choice among underserved populations. Vouchers can be an effective financing tool to enhance equity, increase access, and improve the quality of FP services available to underserved populations within Pakistan.
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
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 …
Evaluating Implementation Of "Management Of Possible Serious Bacterial Infection (Psbi) When Referral Is Not Feasible" In Primary Health Care Facilities In Sindh Province, Pakistan, Maria Asif Bhura, Shabina Ariff, Shamim Ahmad Qazi, Zaitoon Qazi, Imran Ahmed, Yasir Bin Nisar, Zamir Suhag, Abdul Wahab Soomro, Sajid Bashir Soofi
Evaluating Implementation Of "Management Of Possible Serious Bacterial Infection (Psbi) When Referral Is Not Feasible" In Primary Health Care Facilities In Sindh Province, Pakistan, Maria Asif Bhura, Shabina Ariff, Shamim Ahmad Qazi, Zaitoon Qazi, Imran Ahmed, Yasir Bin Nisar, Zamir Suhag, Abdul Wahab Soomro, Sajid Bashir Soofi
Woman and Child Health
Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) launched a guideline in 2015 for managing Possible Serious Bacterial Infection (PSBI) when referral is not feasible in young infants aged 0-59 days. This guideline was implemented across 303 Basic Health Unit (BHU) Plus primary health care (PHC) facilities in peri-urban and rural settings of Sindh, Pakistan. We evaluated the implementation of PSBI guideline, and the quality of care provided to sick young infants at these facilities.
Methods: Thirty (10%) out of 303 BHU Plus facilities were randomly selected for evaluation. A survey team visited each facility for one day, assessed the health system …
Measuring Service Quality And Assessing Its Relationship To Contraceptive Discontinuation: A Prospective Cohort Study In Pakistan And Uganda, Karen T. Chang, Nirali M. Chakraborty, Amanda M. Kalamar, Waqas Hameed, Ben Bellows, Karen A. Grépin, Agha Xaher Gul, Sarah E K. Bradley, Lynn M. Atuyambe, Dominic Montagu
Measuring Service Quality And Assessing Its Relationship To Contraceptive Discontinuation: A Prospective Cohort Study In Pakistan And Uganda, Karen T. Chang, Nirali M. Chakraborty, Amanda M. Kalamar, Waqas Hameed, Ben Bellows, Karen A. Grépin, Agha Xaher Gul, Sarah E K. Bradley, Lynn M. Atuyambe, Dominic Montagu
Community Health Sciences
Background: The quality of contraceptive counseling that women receive from their provider can influence their future contraceptive continuation. We examined (1) whether the quality of contraceptive service provision could be measured in a consistent way by using existing tools from 2 large-scale social franchises, and (2) whether facility quality measures based on these tools were consistently associated with contraceptive discontinuation.
Methods: We linked existing, routinely collected facility audit data from social franchise clinics in Pakistan and Uganda with client data. Clients were women aged 15-49 who initiated a modern, reversible contraceptive method from a sampled clinic. Consented participants completed an …
Facing Covid-19: Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices, And Challenges Of Healthcare Providers, Population Council
Facing Covid-19: Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices, And Challenges Of Healthcare Providers, Population Council
Reproductive Health
This research brief describes findings from the Population Council study Reproductive Healthcare in the Time of COVID-19: Perspectives of Poor Women and Service Providers from Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). During this study, 60 health care providers that represented 60 unique health facilities in Punjab’s Rahim Yar Khan district were interviewed by telephone, to evaluate how much they know about COVID-19 symptoms, prevention, and treatment, as well as their individual attitudes, practices, and challenges during the ongoing pandemic. To assess how the situation evolved during the critical first three months of …
Poor Women's Reproductive Health And Family Planning Challenges And Needs During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Population Council
Poor Women's Reproductive Health And Family Planning Challenges And Needs During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Population Council
Reproductive Health
This research brief describes findings from the Population Council study Reproductive Healthcare in the Time of COVID-19: Perspectives of Poor Women and Service Providers from Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The study conducted 164 interviews by telephone with beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) in Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan, previously surveyed in 2019, to determine how much those most vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19 know about the disease and its effects, in addition to understanding the pandemic’s effects on their lives, including their mental health and well-being as …
Malnutrition And Food Insecurity In Child Labourers In Sindh, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study, Meesha Iqbal, Zafar Fatmi, Kausar S. Khan, Yusra Jumani, Neelma Amjad, Asaad Ahmed Nafees
Malnutrition And Food Insecurity In Child Labourers In Sindh, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study, Meesha Iqbal, Zafar Fatmi, Kausar S. Khan, Yusra Jumani, Neelma Amjad, Asaad Ahmed Nafees
Community Health Sciences
Background: Child labour is common in low- and middle-income countries. Although child labour is widespread in Pakistan, no data are available on the health of child labourers.
Aims: This study aimed to assess the food security, food intake and nutritional status of child labourers aged 5-14 years working in lower Sindh, Pakistan.
Methods: Child labourers aged 5-14 years working in agriculture, manufacturing industry, hotels and restaurants, domestic work and migrant child labourers working in vegetable markets were recruited using a respondent-driven sampling technique. Sociodemographic and nutrition information was obtained by an interviewer questionnaire. The children's height and weight were measured …
Current Challenges Of Digital Health Interventions In Pakistan: Mixed Methods Analysis, Abdul Momin Kazi, Saad Ahmed Qazi, Nazia Ahsan, Sadori Khawaja, Fareeha Sameen, Muhammad Ayub Khan Mughal, Zabin Wajidali, Hussain Kalimuddin, Yasir Rauf, Fatima Mahmood
Current Challenges Of Digital Health Interventions In Pakistan: Mixed Methods Analysis, Abdul Momin Kazi, Saad Ahmed Qazi, Nazia Ahsan, Sadori Khawaja, Fareeha Sameen, Muhammad Ayub Khan Mughal, Zabin Wajidali, Hussain Kalimuddin, Yasir Rauf, Fatima Mahmood
Department of Paediatrics and Child Health
Background: Digital health is well-positioned in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) to revolutionize health care due, in part, to increasing mobile phone access and internet connectivity. This paper evaluates the underlying factors that can potentially facilitate or hinder the progress of digital health in Pakistan.
Objective: The objective of this study is to identify the current digital health projects and studies being carried out in Pakistan, as well as the key stakeholders involved in these initiatives. We aim to follow a mixed-methods strategy and to evaluate these projects and studies through a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis to …
Brucellosis In Pakistan: A Neglected Zoonotic Disease, Meesha Iqbal, Zafar Fatmi, Mumtaz Ali Khan
Brucellosis In Pakistan: A Neglected Zoonotic Disease, Meesha Iqbal, Zafar Fatmi, Mumtaz Ali Khan
Community Health Sciences
Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease; endemic but neglected in the South Asian countries including Pakistan. It causes economic loss to the livestock sector and leads to systemic infection in humans. Brucellosis was neglected in Pakistan since long. According to the Staged Tool for the Elimination of Brucellosis (STEB), Pakistan carries a grim landscape of the disease with no structured control activities. This article describes the five-year national brucellosis control strategic plan (2018-2023) formulated by the government of Pakistan using the one-health approach for the prevention and control of disease across the country. The plan incorporates components of surveillance, research, diagnostic …
Best Bets: Additional Funding For Family Planning—International Evidence On Financing Of Family Planning, Zeba Sathar
Best Bets: Additional Funding For Family Planning—International Evidence On Financing Of Family Planning, Zeba Sathar
Reproductive Health
Additional financing for family planning (FP) in Pakistan is strongly justified, not only to increase contraceptive prevalence, reduce unmet FP need, and avert millions of unwanted pregnancies, but also to reduce maternal mortality and effect improvements in other spheres of development. As a safeguard against unintended fertility, FP contributes to national savings in multiple ways, and additional annual funding of $93 million—or 40 cents per capita—is a relatively minor investment that promises huge dividends.
Best Bets For Accelerating Family Planning In Pakistan: Invest In Community Health Workers, Ali M. Mir, Kiren Khan
Best Bets For Accelerating Family Planning In Pakistan: Invest In Community Health Workers, Ali M. Mir, Kiren Khan
Reproductive Health
Integration of trained, equipped, and supported community health workers (CHWs) within a health system is recognized as a proven high impact practice for family planning (FP) services, with evidence from around the world confirming the need to complement facility-based FP services with CHW programs, particularly in areas where people’s access to health care is limited. There is also substantial evidence that delivering essential health services through CHWs can be cost-effective in a diversity of contexts, with a review of FP programs in 10 developing countries revealing that the average cost per couple-year of protection (CYP) was considerably lower among programs …
Best Bets For Accelerating Family Planning In Pakistan: Inducting Men, Sharing Responsibility, Kiren Khan, Zeba Sathar
Best Bets For Accelerating Family Planning In Pakistan: Inducting Men, Sharing Responsibility, Kiren Khan, Zeba Sathar
Reproductive Health
Pakistan's family planning (FP) program remains more or less exclusively aimed at women, yet evidence from both international as well as programming from within Pakistan suggests that including men in FP could improve results. Given the large youth cohort entering reproductive life in Pakistan, there are compelling grounds for also including younger men and adolescent boys, especially those about to wed, within the country's reproductive health (RH) and FP strategies.
Best Bets For Accelerating Family Planning In Pakistan: The Case For Engaging Family Physicians And The For-Profit Private Sector, Ashfaq Rehman, Anam Malkani
Best Bets For Accelerating Family Planning In Pakistan: The Case For Engaging Family Physicians And The For-Profit Private Sector, Ashfaq Rehman, Anam Malkani
Reproductive Health
Many women in the developing world already rely on private sector providers for various types of treatment, as well as for family planning (FP) services, due to ease of access, shorter waiting times, and a perception of better service. Drug shops and pharmacies are also important for improving access and basic information about contraceptive products. Private pharmacies and shops are key when public sector facilities face frequent shortages and stock outs.
Correction To: Epidemiology Of Patients Presenting To A Pediatric Emergency Department In Karachi, Pakistan, Nadir Ijaz, Matthew Strehlow, N Ewen Wang, Elizabeth Pirrotta, Areeba Tariq, Naseeruddin Mahmood, Swaminatha Mahadevan
Correction To: Epidemiology Of Patients Presenting To A Pediatric Emergency Department In Karachi, Pakistan, Nadir Ijaz, Matthew Strehlow, N Ewen Wang, Elizabeth Pirrotta, Areeba Tariq, Naseeruddin Mahmood, Swaminatha Mahadevan
Department of Paediatrics and Child Health
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.
Community-Level Interventions For Pre-Eclampsia (Clip) In Pakistan: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial, Rahat Qureshi, Sana Sheikh, Zahra Hoodbhoy, Sumedha Sharma, Marianne Vidler, Beth A. Payne, Imran Ahmed, J Mark Ansermino, Jeffrey Bone, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta
Community-Level Interventions For Pre-Eclampsia (Clip) In Pakistan: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial, Rahat Qureshi, Sana Sheikh, Zahra Hoodbhoy, Sumedha Sharma, Marianne Vidler, Beth A. Payne, Imran Ahmed, J Mark Ansermino, Jeffrey Bone, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta
Woman and Child Health
Objectives: To reduce all-cause maternal and perinatal mortality and major morbidity through Lady Health Worker (LHW)-facilitated community engagement and early diagnosis, stabilization and referral of women with preeclampsia, an important contributor to adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes given delays in early detection and initial management.
Study design: In the Pakistan Community-Level Interventions for Pre-eclampsia (CLIP) cluster randomized controlled trial (NCT01911494), LHWs engaged the community, recruited pregnant women from 20 union councils (clusters), undertook mobile health-guided clinical assessment for preeclampsia, and referral to facilities after stabilization.
Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was a composite of maternal, fetal and …
Effectiveness And Experience Of An Integrated Maternal Mental Healthcare Intervention In Private Clinics And Public Health Facilities In Pakistan, Syeda Somyyah Owais
Effectiveness And Experience Of An Integrated Maternal Mental Healthcare Intervention In Private Clinics And Public Health Facilities In Pakistan, Syeda Somyyah Owais
Theses and Dissertations
Maternal depression is often undetected or undertreated at the primary care level. Despite the growing high prevalence of depression among women of childbearing age, the usual primary care practice in Pakistan does not include depression screening. Two facility-based cluster randomized control trials, including a maternal depression intervention component, were conducted within two healthcare settings, private and public primary care facilities in Rawalpindi and Lahore. This study aimed to estimate the effectiveness of each trial in reducing maternal depression among mothers in the intervention arm compared to the control by analyzing the change in PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) scores from baseline …
Recommendations: Putting An End To Child Labour In Pakistan!, Meesha Iqbal, Zafar Fatmi, Kausar S. Khan, Asaad Ahmed Nafees, Neelma Amjad
Recommendations: Putting An End To Child Labour In Pakistan!, Meesha Iqbal, Zafar Fatmi, Kausar S. Khan, Asaad Ahmed Nafees, Neelma Amjad
Community Health Sciences
Child labour is rampant in Pakistan since ages. Laws, policies, programmes and strategies to eliminate child labour have been in place with little gain. Implementation of laws and sustainability of programmes offer barriers to eliminate the menace. We recommend a new approach of regulating child labour as a strategy to eliminate it in the longer run. Model districts with drop-in-centres offering free education to the working children should be constructed. The key stakeholders should unite on a common platform to formulate guidelines defining the nature and duration of work for children in various sectors such that they have sufficient time …
Towards Effective Management Protocols: A Transnational Review Of The State-Of-The-Art Of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) In Pakistan And The United Arab Emirates, Maryam Ehtesham, Talal Almas, Absam Akbar, Muhammad Ali Niaz, Noreen Zia
Towards Effective Management Protocols: A Transnational Review Of The State-Of-The-Art Of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) In Pakistan And The United Arab Emirates, Maryam Ehtesham, Talal Almas, Absam Akbar, Muhammad Ali Niaz, Noreen Zia
Medical College Documents
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has proliferated rapidly in Pakistan, adversely affecting every province. The grave repercussions that the pandemic has elicited in Pakistan have evoked a dire need for drastic measures to be employed at both the governmental and provincial levels. Due to the inequitable appropriation of healthcare resources with respect to the various provinces, however, a stark contrast in terms of morbidity and mortality persists. Furthermore, considering that Pakistani citizens constitute a noteworthy proportion of expatriates residing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the close proximity of the two countries, due consideration of the situation in the UAE …
Perceptions And Experiences Of Men And Women Towards Acceptability And Use Of Contraceptives In Underserved Areas Of Karachi, Pakistan: A Midline Qualitative Assessment Of Sukh Initiative, Karachi Pakistan, Sarah Saleem, Narjis Rizvi, Anam Feroz, Sayyeda Reza, Saleem Jessani, Farina Abrejo
Perceptions And Experiences Of Men And Women Towards Acceptability And Use Of Contraceptives In Underserved Areas Of Karachi, Pakistan: A Midline Qualitative Assessment Of Sukh Initiative, Karachi Pakistan, Sarah Saleem, Narjis Rizvi, Anam Feroz, Sayyeda Reza, Saleem Jessani, Farina Abrejo
Community Health Sciences
Background: Family planning (FP) is an essential component of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and contributes directly to SDG targets 3.7 and 5.6. In Pakistan, contraceptive use has remained stagnant over the past 5 years. This change has been very slow when compared to the FP2020 pledge. The Sukh initiative project was conceived and implemented to alleviate these challenges by providing access to quality contraceptive methods in some underserved areas of Karachi, Pakistan. A qualitative study was conducted to understand the perceptions and experiences of men and women towards acceptability and contraceptive use.
Methods: A qualitative study was conducted at ten …
Prelacteal Feeding Practices In Pakistan: A Mixed-Methods Study, Muhammad Asim, Zarak Husain Ahmed, Mark D. Hayward, Elizabeth M. Widen
Prelacteal Feeding Practices In Pakistan: A Mixed-Methods Study, Muhammad Asim, Zarak Husain Ahmed, Mark D. Hayward, Elizabeth M. Widen
Community Health Sciences
Background: Prelacteal feeding, the feeding a newborn substances or liquids before breastfeeding, is a common cultural practice in Pakistan, but is associated with neonatal morbidity and mortality because it delays early initiation of breastfeeding. In this study, we sought to examine the social and cultural factors associated with prelacteal feeding in Pakistan.
Methods: This mixed-method study used data from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) 2012-13. Findings from the survey were complemented by qualitative interviews with mothers and healthcare providers. In a subset of PDHS dyads (n = 1361) with children (0-23 months), descriptive statistics and bivariate and multivariable …
Determinants Of Occupational Hazards Knowledge And Safety Practices Among Textile Workers In Karachi, Pakistan: A Cross Sectional Study, Natasha Shaukat, Hasan Nawaz Tahir, Tanzil Jamali, Mohammed Moizul Hassan, Asaad Ahmed Nafees
Determinants Of Occupational Hazards Knowledge And Safety Practices Among Textile Workers In Karachi, Pakistan: A Cross Sectional Study, Natasha Shaukat, Hasan Nawaz Tahir, Tanzil Jamali, Mohammed Moizul Hassan, Asaad Ahmed Nafees
Community Health Sciences
Objective: To determine the factors associated with good knowledge and safe practices regarding occupational hazards among textile workers.
Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in Karachi from September 2015 to February 2016, and comprised male workers from seven textile mills. A 45-item structured questionnaire was developed and pretested in Urdu, the local language. One part of the questionnaire comprised 31 items related to good knowledge, and the other part comprised 14 items related to safe practices. Data was analysed using SPSS 19.
Results: Of the 300 subjects, 123(41%) were aged 18-27 years, 183(63%) were educated, 184(61.3%) worked more than eight …
Impact Of Conflict On Maternal And Child Health Service Delivery - How And How Not: A Country Case Study Of Conflict Affected Areas Of Pakistan, Jai K. Das, Zahra Ali Padhani, Sultana Jabeen, Arjumand Rizvi, Uzair Ansari, Malika Fatima, Ghulam Akbar, Wardah Ahmed, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta
Impact Of Conflict On Maternal And Child Health Service Delivery - How And How Not: A Country Case Study Of Conflict Affected Areas Of Pakistan, Jai K. Das, Zahra Ali Padhani, Sultana Jabeen, Arjumand Rizvi, Uzair Ansari, Malika Fatima, Ghulam Akbar, Wardah Ahmed, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta
Woman and Child Health
Introduction: In conflict affected countries, healthcare delivery remains a huge concern. Pakistan is one country engulfed with conflict spanning various areas and time spans. We aimed to explore the effect of conflict on provision of reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition (RMNCAH&N) services and describe the contextual factors influencing the prioritization and implementation in conflict affected areas of Pakistan (Balochistan and FATA).
Method: We conducted a secondary quantitative and a primary qualitative analysis. For the quantitative analysis, we stratified the various districts/agencies of Balochistan and FATA into the conflict categories of minimal-, moderate- and severe based on …
Estimation Of The Burden Of Out-Of-Hospital Traumatic Cardiac Arrest In Karachi, Pakistan, Using A Cross-Sectional Capture-Recapture Analysis, Minaz Mawani, Syed Iqbal Azam, Muhammad Masood Kadir, Zainab Samad, Junaid Abdul Razzak
Estimation Of The Burden Of Out-Of-Hospital Traumatic Cardiac Arrest In Karachi, Pakistan, Using A Cross-Sectional Capture-Recapture Analysis, Minaz Mawani, Syed Iqbal Azam, Muhammad Masood Kadir, Zainab Samad, Junaid Abdul Razzak
Community Health Sciences
Background: The burden of trauma-related-out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in developing countries like Pakistan remains largely unexplored due to a lack of organized pre-hospital systems. In order to estimate the burden, we used a two-sample capture-recapture method which has been used in several domains to estimate difficult-to-count populations.
Methods: We obtained 3-month data from two sources: Records of two major EMS (emergency medical services) systems and five major hospitals providing coverage to the city's population. All adults with traumatic OHCA were included. Information on variables such as name, age, gender, date and time of arrest, cause of arrest, and destination hospital …
Immunity And Field Efficacy Of Type 2-Containing Polio Vaccines After Cessation Of Trivalent Oral Polio Vaccine: A Population-Based Serological Study In Pakistan, Arie Voorman, Atif Habib, Imtiaz Hussain, Rana Muhammad Safdar, Jamal A. Ahmed, William C. Weldon, Imran Ahmed, Muhammad Umer, Jeffrey Partridge, Sajid Bashir Soofi
Immunity And Field Efficacy Of Type 2-Containing Polio Vaccines After Cessation Of Trivalent Oral Polio Vaccine: A Population-Based Serological Study In Pakistan, Arie Voorman, Atif Habib, Imtiaz Hussain, Rana Muhammad Safdar, Jamal A. Ahmed, William C. Weldon, Imran Ahmed, Muhammad Umer, Jeffrey Partridge, Sajid Bashir Soofi
Department of Paediatrics and Child Health
Background: In Pakistan and other countries using oral polio vaccine (OPV), immunity to type 2 poliovirus is now maintained by a single dose of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) in routine immunization, supplemented in outbreak settings by monovalent OPV type 2 (mOPV2) and IPV. While well-studied in clinical trials, population protection against poliovirus type 2 achieved in routine and outbreak settings is generally unknown.
Methods: We conducted two phases of a population-based serological survey of 7940 children aged 6-11 months old, between November 2016 and October 2017 from 13 polio high-risk locations in Pakistan.
Results: Type 2 seroprevalence was 50% among …