Browsing by Author "Kamara, Kassim"

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    Anemia and Associated Factors Among Lactating Women in Sierra Leone: An Analysis of the Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey 2019
    (Nutrition and Metabolic Insights, 2019) Arinda, Ivan Kato; Sserwanja, Quraish; Kamara, Kassim; Mukunya, David; Napyo, Agnes; Nsubuga, Edirisa Juniour; Nuwahereza, Christinah; Kagali, Anitah; Seungwon, Lee
    Anemia is a condition in which hemoglobin (Hb) concentration and/or red blood cell (RBC) numbers are lower than normal and insufficient to meet an individual’s physiological needs. The prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age is high in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), including Sierra Leone. However, data on anemia among lactating women in Sierra Leone are scarce. Therefore, this study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of anemia and determine its associated factors among lactating women in Sierra Leone.The 2019 Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey (SLDH) data were used of which 1543 lactating women aged 15 to 49 years old had hemoglobin measurements. Multistage stratified sampling was used to select study participants and data were collected using validated questionnaires. Multivariate binary logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with anemia among lactating women in Sierra Leone.The general prevalence of anemia among lactating women in Sierra Leone was 52.9% (95% CI = 50.9-55.8). Almost a quarter, 23.8% (95% CI = 22.1-26.3) of the lactating women had mild anemia, 27.4% (95% CI = 25.3-29.7) had moderate anemia and 1.7% (95% CI = 1.1-2.5) had severe anemia. The use of modern contraceptives (aOR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.09-2.47), not being visited by a field worker in the past year (aOR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.12-2.03) and being Muslim (aOR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.11-1.91), were associated with higher odds of being anemic. Being given and having bought iron supplements during pregnancy (aOR = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.25-0.87) was associated with less odds of being anemic.More than half of the lactating mothers in our study were anemic. The risk factors for anemia in our study included: use of modern contraceptives, not being visited by a field worker in the past year and being Muslim. Receiving iron supplements during pregnancy was protective against anemia. According to the results from this study, the recommendation for lactating women was to maintain routine interface with the healthcare system which includes being visited by a field worker who should prescribe and issue iron supplements to them. Lactating women especially Muslims should receive routine nutrition education by the health workers at the health facilities during antenatal care visits or postnatal care in regard to anemia and means of prevention and treatment. Community stakeholders should also work in collaboration to establish scalable methods to correctly identify pregnant women with risk factors, inform them about anemia with caution, and apply appropriate measures as trained or instructed
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    Association between exposure to family planning messages on different mass media channels and the utilization of modern contraceptives among young women in Sierra Leone: insights from the 2019 Sierra Leone Demographic Health Survey
    (BMC Women's Health, 2022-09-16) Sserwanja, Quraish; Turimumahoro, Patricia; Nuwabaine, Lilian; Kamara, Kassim; Musaba, Milton W.
    Access to sexual and reproductive health information enables young women to make appropriate decisions. We examined the association between exposure to family panning messages on different mass media and the use of modern contraceptives among young women in Sierra Leone. This was a secondary analysis of the 2019 Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey data of young women aged 15–24 years. Multistage stratified sampling was used to select study participants in the survey. We used multivariable logistic regression to determine the association between exposure to family panning messages on different types mass media channels and utilization of modern contraceptives. All our analyses were done using SPSS version 25. Out of 6055 young women, 1506 (24.9%, 95% CI 24.0–26.2) were utilizing a modern contraceptive method with the prevalence higher among urban women (26.5%) compared to rural women (23.1%). Less than half (45.6%) had been exposed to family planning messages on mass media (radio 28.6%, television 10.6%, mobile phones 4.2% and newspapers or magazines 2.2%). Young women who had exposure to family planning messages on radio (AOR: 1.26, 95% CI 1.06–1.50) and mobile phones (AOR: 1.84, 95% CI 1.25–2.69) had higher odds of using modern contraceptives compared to their counterparts without the same exposure. Furthermore, having access to internet (AOR: 1.45, 95% CI 1.19–1.78), working (AOR: 1.49, 95% CI 1.27–1.74), being older (20–24 years) (AOR: 1.75, 95% CI 1.46–2.10), being married (AOR: 0.33, 95% CI 0.26–0.42), having visited a health facility within the last 12 months (AOR: 1.34, 95% CI 1.10–1.63), having secondary (AOR: 2.83, 95% CI 2.20–3.64) and tertiary levels of education (AOR: 3.35, 95% CI 1.83–6.13), higher parity (having above one child) AOR: 1.57, 95% CI 1.19–2.08) and residing in the southern (AOR: 2.11, 95% CI 1.61–2.79), northwestern (AOR: 1.87, 95% CI 1.39–2.52), northern (AOR: 2.11, 95% CI 1.59–2.82) and eastern (AOR: 1.68, 95% CI 1.27–2.22) regions of residence were associated with higher odds of modern contraceptives utilization. In Sierra Leon, only one in four young women were using modern contraception and more than half of them had not had any exposure to family planning messages on the different types of mass media channels. Behavior change communicators can prioritize family planning messages using radio, mobile phones and the internet. In order to publicize and encourage young women to adopt healthy behaviours and increase uptake of modern contraceptive.
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    Determinants of quality contraceptive counselling information among young women in Sierra Leone: insights from the 2019 Sierra Leone demographic health survey
    (BMC Women's Health, 2023-05-15) Sserwanja, Quraish; Nuwabaine, Lilian; Kamara, Kassim; Musaba, Milton W.
    The quality of contraceptive counseling information received by prospective clients of family planning services can greatly influence both the uptake and continued use of contraceptives. Therefore, an understanding of the level and determinants of quality contraception information among young women in Sierra Leon could inform family programs, with the aim of reducing the high unmet need in the country.
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    Prevalence and factors associated with teenage pregnancy in Sierra Leone: evidence from a nationally representative Demographic and Health Survey of 2019
    (BMC Public Health, 2023-03-20) Nuwabaine, Lilian; Sserwanja, Quraish; Kamara, Kassim; Musaba, Milton W.
    Globally, teenage pregnancy remains a public health concern because of the associated maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. To address the extensive social, political and economic effects of teenage pregnancy, there is need for current epidemiological evidence on its prevalence and associated factors, especially from low resource settings where the burden is highest.
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    Prevalence and factors associated with utilisation of postnatal care in Sierra Leone: a 2019 national survey
    (BMC public health, 2022-01-14) Sserwanja, Quraish; Nuwabaine, Lilian; Kamara, Kassim; Musaba, Milton W.
    Within Sub-Saharan Africa, some countries still report unacceptably high rates of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality, despite improvements in the utilisation of maternity care services. Postnatal care (PNC) is one of the recommended packages in the continuum of maternity care aimed at reducing maternal and neonatal mortality. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with PNC utilisation in Sierra Leone.