BackgroundExclusive breastfeeding is important for child health and growth, but its practice is low in many developing countries. This study aimed at determining the breastfeeding practices and examining the sociodemographic characteristics that influence exclusive breastfeeding among mothers attending child welfare clinic at Manhean, in the Tema East Sub-Meteropolitan area of Greater Accra region of Ghana.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study that employed a structured questionnaire to collect data among 355 mothers of children aged 0–24 months selected through simple random sampling, attending a child welfare clinic from May to June, 2016. Breastfeeding practices were assessed based on the practices in the last 24 h prior to the study as defined by the World Health Organization.ResultsThere was a universal awareness and high knowledge about exclusive breastfeeding among mothers, but prevalence among infants less than 6 months was 66.0% (n = 138/209). Mothers currently breastfeeding were 263 (74.0%); 225 (63.4%) initiated breastfeeding within the first hour after delivery and 289 (81.0%) of the mothers offered colostrum to babies after delivery. Continued breastfeeding rate at 1 year was 77.3% (n = 17/22). Only 33.7% (n = 31/92) of infants aged 6–8 months had started receiving complementary foods. For infants aged less than 24 months, 30.1% (n = 98/326) were bottle feeding. Mothers aged 20–24 (Adjusted odd ratio [AOR] 9.80; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.11, 45.46), 25–29 (AOR 9.49; 95% CI 2.07, 43.47) and 30–34 (AOR 6.02; 95% CI 1.41, 25.65) were more likely to practice exclusive breastfeeding. Mothers who had tertiary education were less likely to practice EBF than those with no education (AOR 0.18; 95% CI 0.36, 0.85). Mothers from ethnic groups in northern Ghana were less likely to exclusively breastfeed their infants compared to those of Ghanaian (Ga) ethnicity (AOR 0.29; 95% CI 0.09, 0.96).ConclusionsExclusive breastfeeding and timely complementary feeding practices are suboptimal. Educational status, age and ethnicity of mothers strongly predicted maternal practice of exclusive breastfeeding. Interventions emphasizing a practical education should therefore be targeted at addressing factors that influence exclusive breastfeeding.

IntroductionRotation work, characterised by travelling long distances to work in isolated areas where workers typically rotate consecutive days working and living on-site with periods at home, is increasingly used in the resources and construction sectors globally. Such employment practices may have an impact on workers’ health and well-being. This systematic review explores the impact rotation work has on mental and physical outcomes in rotation workers in the resources and construction sectors.MethodThe PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus databases were systematically searched on 1 May 2020 to identify quantitative, qualitative and mixed-method studies addressing the health of rotation workers published in peer-reviewed journals. Findings from the studies were summarised narratively.ResultsOf 6268 studies retrieved, 90 studies were included in the review. Studies suggested higher prevalence of psychological distress in onshore rotation workers and higher overweight/obesity rates among rotation workers as compared with the general population. We found more sleep problems and higher levels of smoking during work periods compared with off-site days; and higher alcohol intake during off-site days compared with on-site days. Workers generally perceived their physical health status as good. High-perceived job demands (such as workload, repetitive work) were associated with mental distress and exhaustion, sleep problems and perceived poor physical health status, while high-perceived job resources (such as job clarity/control, support) were associated with low mental distress and exhaustion, less smoking and alcohol intake, and better sleep.ConclusionRotation work is associated with several poorer health behaviours and outcomes, such as sleep problems, smoking, alcohol consumption and overweight/obesity. Interventions needed to improve rotation workers’ health should include maximising available job resources and reducing job demands. Further longitudinal studies are needed to explore the long-term health effects of rotation work and the short-term contextual effects of the different aspects of rotation work.

Background Justification of intimate partner violence (IPV) is one of the critical factors that account for the high prevalence of IPV among women. In this study, we examined the association between exposure to interparental violence and IPV justification among women in sexual unions in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Methods Data for this study were obtained from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) of 26 countries in SSA conducted between 2010 and 2020. A total of 112,953 women in sexual unions were included in this study. A multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was carried out. The results of the regression analysis were presented using crude odds ratios (cOR) and adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with their respective 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results The prevalence of interparental violence in the countries considered in this study was 23.8%, with the highest (40.8%) and lowest (4.9%) in Burundi and Comoros, respectively. IPV justification was 45.8%, with the highest and lowest prevalence in Mali (80.9%) and South Africa (4.6%) respectively. Women who were exposed to interparental violence were more likely to justify IPV compared to those who were not exposed [aOR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.47–1.59]. We found higher odds of justification of IPV among women who were exposed to interparental violence compared to those who were not exposed in all the countries, except Burkina Faso, Comoros, Gambia, and Rwanda. Conclusion The findings call for several strategies for addressing interparental violence. These may include empowerment services targeting both men and women, formation of stronger social networks to improve women’s self-confidence, and the provision of evidence-based information and resources at the community level. These interventions should pay critical attention to young people exposed to interparental violence. Public health education and messaging should emphasise on the negative health and social implications of interparental violence and IPV.