CARTA fellows' scientific contribution to the African public and population Health Research agenda (2011 to 2018).

BACKGROUND: Since its inception in 2009, the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) program has focused on strengthening the capacity of nine African universities and four research centres to produce skilled researchers and scholars able to improve public and population health on the continent. This study describes the alignment between CARTA-supported doctoral topics and publications with the priorities articulated by the African public and population health research agenda. METHODS: We reviewed the output from CARTA PhD fellows between 2011 and 2018 to establish the volume and scope of the publications, and the degree to which the research focus coincided with the SDGs, World Bank, and African Development Bank research priority areas. We identified nine key priority areas into which the topics were classified. RESULTS: In total, 140 CARTA fellows published 806 articles in peer-reviewed journals over the 8 years up to 2018. All the publications considered in this paper had authors affiliated with African universities, 90% of the publications had an African university first author and 41% of the papers have CARTA fellows as the first author. The publications are available in over 6300 online versions and have been cited in over 5500 other publications. About 69% of the published papers addressed the nine African public and population health research agenda and SDG priority areas. Infectious diseases topped the list of publications (26.8%), followed by the health system and policy research (17.6%), maternal and child health (14.7%), sexual and reproductive health (14.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Investments by CARTA in supporting doctoral studies provides fellows with sufficient training and skills to publish their research in fields of public and population health. The number of publications is understandably uneven across Africa's public and population priority areas. Even while low in number, fellows are publishing in areas such as non-communicable disease, health financing, neglected tropical diseases and environmental health. Violence and injury is perhaps underrepresented. There is need to keep developing research capacity in partner institutions with low research output by training more PhDs in such institutions and by facilitating enabling environments for research.

Demographic and health community-based surveys to inform a malaria elimination project in Magude district, southern Mozambique.

OBJECTIVES: A Demographic and Health Platform was established in Magude in 2015, prior to the deployment of a project aiming to evaluate the feasibility of malaria elimination in southern Mozambique, named the Magude project. This platform aimed to inform the design, implementation and evaluation of the Magude project, through the identification of households and population; and the collection of demographic, health and malaria information. SETTING: Magude is a rural district of southern Mozambique which borders South Africa. It has nine peripheral health facilities and one referral health centre with an inpatient ward. INTERVENTION: A baseline census enumerated and geolocated all the households, and their resident and non-resident members, collecting demographic and socio-economic information, and data on the coverage and usage of malaria control tools. Inpatient and outpatient data during the 5 years (2010 to 2014) before the survey were obtained from the district health authorities. The demographic platform was updated in 2016. RESULTS: The baseline census conducted in 2015 reported 48 448 (92.1%) residents and 4133 (7.9%) non-residents, and 10 965 households. Magude's population is predominantly young, half of the population has no formal education and the main economic activities are agriculture and fishing. Houses are mainly built with traditional non-durable materials and have poor sanitation facilities. Between 2010 and 2014, malaria was the most common cause of all-age inpatient discharges (representing 20% to 40% of all discharges), followed by HIV (12% to 22%) and anaemia (12% to 15%). In early 2015, all-age bed-net usage was between 21.8% and 27.1% and the reported coverage of indoor residual spraying varied across the district between 30.7% and 79%. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that Magude has limited socio-economic conditions, poor access to healthcare services and low coverage of malaria vector control interventions. Thus, Magude represented an area where it is most pressing to demonstrate the feasibility of malaria elimination. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02914145; Pre-results.

Timing of Most Recent Health Care Visit by Older People Living With and Without HIV.

The objective of this article is to document factors associated with the recency of health-care service utilization by people aged 50 years and over living with and without HIV in Uganda. A survey was conducted with 510 Ugandans aged 50 and older, living with and without HIV. The survey included information on sociodemographic characteristics, health state, self-reported chronic conditions, and timing of most recent visit to a health-care facility (time since last visit [TSLV]). We use ordinal logistic regression to identify independent factors associated TSLV. Independent factors associated with TSLV (>6 months) include age, OR = 2.40 [95% CI 1.08-5.37] for those aged 80 years and above, urban respondents, OR = 0.6 [95%CI 0.38-0.94], HIV-positive respondents, OR = 0.33 [95%CI 0.18-0.59], and better health. To understand the meaning of these finding, further investigation should examine (a) how best to define and measure older persons' health-care service needs and (b) older persons' decision-making processes around the timing of their access to health-care facilities.

Analysis of the Resources Construction Mode of the National Scientific Data Sharing Platform for Population and Health / 医学信息学杂志

The paper summarizes features of the resources construction mode of the national scientific data sharing platform for popu -lation and health and analyzes main problems existing in the management , standardization and normalization of platform resources con-struction.On this basis, it proposes thinking and suggestion , and points out that a complete mechanism for resources assessment and ac-cess should be formed as soon as possible for the platform , the work progress of standardization should be promoted positively and the awareness of opening and sharing scientific data should be strengthened .

The comprehensive quantitative evaluation of winning bidders' pre-scientific research foundation of the National Population and Health Technology Supporting Program during the 11th Five-Year Plan Period / 中华医学科研管理杂志

In order to explore the scientific research management methods about the applicant's pre-research foundation of the science program,the paper comprehensively and quantitatively evaluated the 135 winning bidders' scientific research foundation of the National Population and Health Technology Supporting Program during the 11th Five-Year Plan Period,with the predefined the comprehensive evaluation scale of approval project foundation.The results showed that:the average of comprehensive total score of 135 bidders' approval project foundation is 9.35 ± 11.13,and the highest is 57.21 points.At the same time,five winning bidders' score is 0.The scatter of points suggested a skewed distribution that few bidders is in the high partitions,while score points densely sink at the bottom.The proposal is to set up a reasonable,standardized,quantified evaluation system of the pre scientific research foundation,which to provide review and decision-making reference for the evaluation experts and the project management departments.

Research on Comprehensive Evaluation Index Scale of Science and Technology Program's Selection and Outputs in Population and Health Field using the Delphi method / 中华医学科研管理杂志

This paper lettered experts using delphi method,determined 3 the first indexes,14 the second indexes and 33 the third indexes.After indexes weights given,a comprehensive evaluation index system of science and technology program' s selection and outputs had been established.The comprehensive evaluation index system is simple and could be easily operated,used for population assessment of science and technology program's selection and outputs in population and health field.

Overall Design and Research Framework: Evaluation Research on National Major Science and Technology Program's Selection and Outputs in Population and Health Field / 中华医学科研管理杂志

In the management of science,fairness point of view,this paper put forward the framework vision of field of national major science and technology program's selection and outputs in population and health field,including design ideas,research objectives,contents and researchmethods.It has some inspiration and reference value to medical research management,especially senior science and technology program management.

Vision and Discussion on Problems of Comprehensive Evaluation Index System of Science and Technology Program's Selection and Outputs in Population and Health Field / 中华医学科研管理杂志

This paper based on overall design and research framework of national major science and technology program's selection and outputs in population and health Field,further proposed basic principles,specific content and selected basis.Then several problems had been discussed on.It can play a role to improve the science and technology program' s selection and outputs evaluation and management hopefully.