Around half of the population of Suriname, who are mainly of African and South Asian descent, migrated to the Netherlands at the end of the previous century, where they face higher perinatal and maternal mortality and up to 5 years lower life expectancy than European-Dutch. Analyses by ancestry are needed to address these inequalities, but the law prohibits registration by ancestry. Therefore, a list of Surinamese surnames was compiled and validated to identify the largest groups, African-Surinamese or South Asian-Surinamese ancestry in health research. A complete database of Surinamese surnames was provided by the National Population Registry of Suriname. Surname recognition by researchers of Surinamese ancestry was used. Disagreement was resolved using historical registers and through discussion. The list was further validated against contemporary lists of Surinamese surnames with self-defined ancestry, obtained during population and clinical studies in Suriname and the Netherlands. All 71,529 Surinamese surnames were encoded, as African-Surinamese (34%), South Asian-Surinamese (18%), Brazilian or other Iberian (17%), Indonesian-Surinamese (13%), Chinese-Surinamese (5%), First Nation (2%), and other (10%). Compared to self-defined ancestry, South Asian-Surinamese surname coding had 100% sensitivity, 99.8% specificity, and 99.9% accuracy. For African-Surinamese, who may have Dutch surnames, these values depended on geocoding. With a known Surinamese origin, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were, respectively, 97.3%, 100%, and 98.6%, but without this information, there was interference of African-Surinamese with European-Dutch surnames in the Dutch validation sample. In conclusion, the Surinamese Surname List has a high accuracy in identifying persons of Surinamese ancestry. This quick, inexpensive, and nonintrusive method, which is unaffected by response bias, might be a valuable tool in public health research to help address the profound health disparities by ancestry.

The N141I variant (PSEN1 gene) is associated with familial forms of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in descendants of Volga Germans, whose migration to Argentina is well documented. As a proxy for geographic origin, surnames can be a valuable tool in population studies. The 2015 Argentine Electoral Registry provided geographic data for 30,530,194 individuals, including 326,922 with Volga German surnames. Between 2005 and 2017, the Ministry of Health recorded 4,115,216 deaths, of which 17,226 were attributed to AD and related causes. The study used both diachronic and synchronic data to identify patterns of territorial distribution and co-spatiality, using Moran’s I and generalised linear model statistics. The frequency of surnames of Volga German origin accounts for 43.53% of the variation in deaths from AD and three clusters of high non-random frequency were found. Almost 150 years later, people descending from the Volga migration remain highly concentrated and may have a different risk of developing AD. The identification of spatial patterns provides reliable guidance for medical research and highlights the importance of specific health policies for particular populations.

Despite the global decrease over the last two decades, stunting, also called ‘chronic malnutrition’, remains a public health issue affecting almost 150 million children under the age of 5 years globally. Defined by height-for-age, stunting is the consequence of poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation. Programmes and policies target undernutrition globally, and humanitarian and development actors invest great efforts to prevent stunting. This study uses multivariate analysis to examine the impact of financial assistance on the reduction of stunting in a refugee context, focusing on Syrian refugee children under the age of 5 years in Türkiye. Using a unique dataset, the 2018 Turkey Demographic and Health Survey Syrian Migrant Sample (2018 TDHS-SR), the findings indicate that financial assistance significantly reduces the incidence of stunting among refugee children under the control of economic, mother and children, environmental, health-related and nutritional and breastfeeding characteristics. However, having household members generate income is found to be another stronger predictor to reduce stunting. The paper also argues that the nutritional well-being of refugee children might improve if forced migration occurs towards a stable host country/region. In addition, adaptation over time also seems to have a positive influence.

Existing research on human growth in Mexico is regionally focused, creating a gap in the understanding of growth patterns of children and adolescents at national level and regional variation. The objective of the present study was to characterize the height growth curve of the Mexican population by geographic area and to cluster the states of the Mexican Republic according to their somatic maturation characteristics, based on a national representative sample of boys. Data on age, height, socioeconomic level, and geographic area of 18,219 boys were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Survey 2012 (ENSANUT) and ENSANUT 2018, carried out in 32 Mexican states. Both surveys had representative samples. Preece–Baines 1 model was applied to fit height growth curves. Biological parameters were estimated; principal component analysis and cluster analysis were performed to group Mexican states based on these biological parameters. The estimated age at peak height velocity (PHV) was 12.3 years in the sample. Significant regional differences in the timing and tempo of PHV among Mexican boys were observed. Boys in the northern region experienced PHV at an earlier age and had a shorter duration of growth compared with boys in the central and southern regions. Boys in the central region had a longer duration of growth and a later age of PHV compared with the boys in the southern region. The cluster that included the southern states of the country showed estimated lower adult height and earlier somatic maturation. A lower height was found in the low and low-middle socioeconomic levels compared with the medium-high and high socioeconomic levels. Future research in Mexico should focus on longitudinal studies to analyse the timing and tempo of growth and maturation, considering the impacts of environmental and genetic factors. Public health strategies should account for geographic variations.

An increase in the prevalence of obesity due to lockdown and confinement linked to COVID-19 is observed. Variations in the nutritional status of schoolchildren from Jujuy are analyzed in relation to confinement due to COVID-19 (2019–2021) and its relationship with socio-demographic variables and the school environment. This is an observational, descriptive study. Data from 56,695 schoolchildren aged 6–18 years old is analyzed based on two temporary cuts (2019 pre-confinement and 2021 post-confinement). The nutritional status of schoolchildren (underweight, overweight, and obese) was established using the IOTF (International Obesity Task Force) criterion. The prevalence of each nutritional phenotype was estimated by sex and age group, considering the following independent variables: setting (rural/urban), school management system (public/private), geographic altitude, and percentage of households with unmet basic needs (UBN) in the place where they attend school. Multiple proportions contrast was performed using Fisher's test, a transition matrix ws produced and a statistical model of proportional odds was fitted. It was observed that between 2019 and 2021, the prevalence of underweight decreased and the prevalence of overweight and obesity increased significantly. In 2021, 67% of schoolchildren maintained the same nutritional category that they had in 2019, 21% gained weight and 12% lost weight. The model explains about 52% of the total variability observed. The factors that are significantly correlated in the model are school cycle, age, geographic altitude, school setting, and % of households with UBN. The results indicate that during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a shift to the right in the distribution of the nutritional status categories of the schoolchildren population in Jujuy, with a decrease in the prevalence of underweight and an increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity with variations related to age, school location, geographic altitude, and socioeconomic characteristics of the households in the place where the children attended school.

This study aims to measure inequalities in the distribution of functional difficulties and their different domains among youth aged 15–29 years in Egypt, according to selected socioeconomic characteristics (e.g. wealth quantiles and education level of the head of the household). The data come from the nationally representative survey, ‘Household Observatory Survey’, with 10,405 persons aged 15–29 years representing the study sample population. The survey identifies individuals with disabilities using the Washington Group Short questions. Inequalities in disability distribution have been measured by the concentration index (CI). The results indicate that functional difficulties have been concentrated among the poorest youth and households headed by illiterate persons. Rural areas have the highest concentration of disabilities among youth, with the lowest wealth and the lowest educational level of the head of the household. The CI suggests the existence of socioeconomic inequalities in all functional difficulties except for seeing difficulties. Understanding which factors more substantially contribute to inequalities is critical for advancing policies devoted to enhancing the quality of life for individuals with disabilities.

Anaemia severely impacts physical and mental abilities, raises health risks, and diminishes the quality of life and work capacity. It is a leading cause of adverse pregnancy outcomes and maternal mortality, especially in developing nations like India, where recent data on anaemia from National Family and Health Survey (NFHS-4) (2015–16) and NFHS-5 (2019–21) indicate a tremendous rise. Anaemia is a marker of poor nutrition and health, and socio-economic factors such as gender norms, race, income, and living conditions influence its impact. As a result, there are disparities in how anaemia affects different segments of society. However, existing research on health inequity and anaemia often employs a single-axis analytical framework of social power. These studies operate under the assumption that gender, economic class, ethnicity, and caste are inherently distinct and mutually exclusive categories and fail to provide a comprehensive understanding of anaemia prevalence. Therefore, the study has adopted the theoretical framework of intersectionality and analysed the NFHS-5 (2019–21) data using bivariate cross-tabulations and binary logistic regression models to understand how gender, class, caste, and place of residence are associated with the prevalence of anaemia. The results suggest that the women of Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Scheduled Castes (SC) share a disproportionate burden of anaemia. This study confirms that economic class and gender, geographical location, level of education, and body mass index significantly determine the prevalence of anaemia. The ST and SC women who are economically marginalised and reside in rural areas with high levels of poverty, exclusion, and poor nutritional status have a higher prevalence of anaemia than other population groups. Thus, the study suggests that intersections of multiple factors such as caste, class, gender, and place of residence significantly determine ‘who is anaemic in India’.

Limited evidence exists about the contraception uptake in indigenous tribal groups of the north-eastern region of India. This study based on the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) IV (2015–2016) reports aimed to describe the pattern and factors associated with contraceptive non-use in the tribal women of the north-eastern part of India. The study was a cross-sectional analytical study based on secondary analysis of NFHS-IV data. All women in the age group of 15–49 years from the north-eastern part of India were included. Data were extracted and analysed using modified STATA-14 software. The association of socio-demographic and economic characteristics with contraceptive non-use was assessed using logistic regression. The inter-group differences of population characteristics for non-use contraceptives were assessed by modified Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition technique using ‘Fairlie decomposition’. A total of 65,941 women were included, of whom 34,936 (52.9%) were tribal women. The proportion of contraceptive non-use was higher in tribal women. Tribal women with age at marriage above 30 years, Christian community, and women from Assam and Manipur state had higher odds of contraceptive non-use. The decomposition analysis showed that geographical variations, parity, and Christian religion contributed the most to contraceptive use disparity in the population. A huge gap was observed in contraceptive non-use among tribal and non-tribal women in the north-eastern part of India. The healthcare system must involve community representatives in designing context-specific community-based initiatives to increase the uptake of contraceptive use in these remote vulnerable communities.

Investing in the sexual and reproductive health of young adults can directly and indirectly contribute to accelerated economic growth. Looking beyond individual determinants of sexual behaviours and focusing on cultural factors such as ethnic affiliation are crucial for interventions and programme planning, particularly in a context like Nigeria. Using a concurrent triangulation mixed-methods design, this article explores the associations between ethnic affiliations and protective sexual behaviours of young adults in Nigeria. The quantitative data was derived from a representative sample of 1,393 male and female youth aged 16–24 years in three states purposively selected from three regions in Nigeria, while qualitative data was based on 18 focus groups and 36 in-depth interviews. The quantitative data was analysed using frequency distributions and regressions, while content analysis was employed to analyse qualitative data. Descriptive results showed that abstinence was higher for Hausa (80%) young adults compared with Yoruba (72%) and Igbo (68%) young adults. Condom use was lowest for Hausa (56%) young adults compared with Igbo (80%) and Yoruba (81%) young adults. The effect of education on abstinence differed by ethnicity and living with two parents was associated with a higher likelihood of abstinence among youth in all ethnic groups. Fear of early fatherhood and unplanned pregnancy was a prominent reason for protective sexual behaviour among Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa young adults. The findings from this study show that young adults who engage in protective sexual behaviours may identify different rationales for this behaviour based on their ethnic background. Programme planners interested in promoting and encouraging protective sexual behaviours should recognize these multiple reasons across different ethnic affiliations to scale up and sustain existing interventions.

While the practice of polygyny is common in Ghana, little is known about its impact on the use of reproductive health services. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between polygynous marriage and the utilisation of skilled antenatal care (ANC), assisted skilled birth, and modern contraceptive services among married women in Ghana. Secondary data from the 2017 Ghana Maternal Health Survey were used for this study. The study included a weighted sample of 9,098 married women aged 15–49 years. We used multivariable logistic regression models to assess the association between polygyny and each outcome variables. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the dose–response relationship between polygyny and each outcome variable. The prevalence of eight or more ANC contacts, assisted skilled births, and use of modern contraception were 47.0%, 81.4%, and 25.4%, respectively. The prevalence of women in polygynous marriages was 15.3%. Compared to monogynous marriage, polygynous marriage was associated with 19% lower odds of having eight plus ANC contacts (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.81, 95% CI: 0.69, 0.96), 25% lower odds of having assisted skilled birth (aOR 0.75, 95% CI: 0.63, 0.89), and 19% lower odds of modern contraceptive utilisation (aOR 0.81, 95% CI: 0.66, 0.99). Interventions on reproductive health may need to prioritise women in polygynous marriages in order to improve the utilisation of skilled ANC, assisted skilled birth, and modern contraceptive services.

Worldwide, more than 130 million infants are born each year and a considerable number of 13.5 million of these children have inbred parents. The present study aimed to investigate the association between parents’ consanguinity and chronic illness among their children and grandchildren in India. The nationally representative data, Longitudinal Aging Study in India, 2017–2018, Wave 1 was used for the present study. Bivariate analysis, a probit model, and propensity score estimation were employed to conduct the study. The study observed the highest prevalence of consanguinity marriage in the state of Andhra Pradesh (28%) and the lowest in Kerala (5%) among the south Indian States. People who lived in rural areas, belonged to the richer wealth quintile and Hindu religion were the significant predictors of consanguinity marriage in India. For individuals who were in consanguineous marriages, there was 0.85%, 0.84%, 1.57% 0.43%, 0.34%, and 0.14% chances of their children and grandchildren developing psychotic disorders, heart disease, hypertension stroke, cancer, and diabetes, respectively. Moreover, around 4.55% of the individuals have a history of birth defects or congenital disorders. To address the risk of complicated illnesses due to the consanguinity of marriage, medical, genetic, and social counselling services are required.