This systematic review critically synthesizes the literature focusing on factors related to preconception health behaviors (PCHBs) among childbearing age women in the United States, developed countries, and developing countries. Ovid Medline and CINAHL databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles published between 1998 and 2008 relating to PCHB. Six major categories of factors were identified: frequency of alcohol intake prior and during pregnancy, glycemic control/diabetes management, physical activity before and during pregnancy, pregnancy planning behavior, cystic fibrosis carrier screening, and other risk factors. A critical finding of this review is that knowledge, awareness, and beliefs of preconception care do not lead to preconception health practice. Younger preconceptional women and women with children were less likely to engage in PCHB. However, women with advanced postgraduate education were more likely to practice preconception care. There is an urgent need to educate young preconceptional women regarding the importance and benefits of practicing preconception care.

As of 2010 sub-Saharan Africa had approximately 865 million inhabitants living with numerous public health challenges. Several public health initiatives [e.g., the United States (US) President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the US President's Malaria Initiative] have been very successful at reducing mortality from priority diseases. A competently trained public health workforce that can operate multi-disease surveillance and response systems is necessary to build upon and sustain these successes and to address other public health problems. Sub-Saharan Africa appears to have weathered the recent global economic downturn remarkably well and its increasing middle class may soon demand stronger public health systems to protect communities. The Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) program of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been the backbone of public health surveillance and response in the US during its 60 years of existence. EIS has been adapted internationally to create the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) in several countries. In the 1990s CDC and the Rockefeller Foundation collaborated with the Uganda and Zimbabwe ministries of health and local universities to create 2-year Public Health Schools Without Walls (PHSWOWs) which were based on the FETP model. In 2004 the FETP model was further adapted to create the Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (FELTP) in Kenya to conduct joint competency-based training for field epidemiologists and public health laboratory scientists providing a master's degree to participants upon completion. The FELTP model has been implemented in several additional countries in sub-Saharan Africa. By the end of 2010 these 10 FELTPs and two PHSWOWs covered 613 million of the 865 million people in sub-Saharan Africa and had enrolled 743 public health professionals. We describe the process that we used to develop 10 FELTPs covering 15 countries in sub-Saharan Africa from 2004 to 2010 as a strategy to develop a locally trained public health workforce that can operate multi-disease surveillance and response systems.

IntroductionEn 2011 le district de santé de Djoungolo a connu deux épidémies de rougeole avec un taux de complétude vaccinale de 69% selon les données du district. L'objectif de cette étude était de déterminer la couverture vaccinale et les facteurs associés à la non complétude vaccinale des enfants de 12 à 23 mois du district de Djoungolo en 2012.MéthodesUne étude transversale à base communautaire a été menée en 2012. Au total 210 mères / nourrices d'enfants de 12 à 23 mois du district de Djoungolo, sélectionnées selon la méthode OMS de sondage en grappe 30 X 7, ont été interrogées sur les vaccins reçus par l'enfant avant l’âge d'un an et les raisons de non vaccination à l'aide d'un questionnaire structuré. Une analyse de régression logistique multivariée de type backward a été faite pour les variables ayant obtenu une valeur p < 0,2 à l'analyse univariée en utilisant le logiciel EPI Info version 3.5.3. Une association était significative lorsque p < 0,05.RésultatsLa complétude vaccinale était de 64,3%, variant de 85,7% pour le BCG à 66,2% pour le Vaccin anti rougeoleux. La régression logistique multivariée a montré que les mères qui avaient peur des effets secondaires (P=0,0454), qui ne connaissaient pas l'importance de la vaccination (P=0,0139), qui avaient connu des occasions manquées de vaccination (P=0,0055), qui mettaient plus d'une heure pour vacciner leur enfant (P=0,0005) et qui ne maitrisaient pas le calendrier de vaccination (P=0,00001) étaient significativement associées à la non complétude vaccinale des enfants.ConclusionLa couverture vaccinale du district est en deçà des objectifs. Pour l'améliorer nous recommandons le renforcement de l’éducation des parents et une réorganisation des services de vaccination.

The Littoral region of Cameroon met most of its routine immunization and surveillance objectives in 2010 but has not reiterated such a performance since then. We describe the case-based measles surveillance performance of 2010 by person, place, time and determine measles surveillance system delays. Descriptive statistics were performed using Epi Info 3.5.3. There were 130 suspected measles cases investigated by 17 (89.5%) health districts, 83 (64%) males and 99 (76%) ≤5 years. At least 4 cases were investigated per month with a peak of 23 cases in June. About 67 (51.5%) patients visited a hospital more than 48 h after disease onset, 34 (26.2%) health facilities informed the district service late after receiving a suspected case and 65 (50%) samples got to the reference laboratory more than 24 hours after reception by the specimen collection centre. More than 2 discarded measles/100,000 population were investigated but with health facilities, specimen collection centre and patients’ ability to seek healthcare delays. All specimens got to the reference laboratory within 72 h. Patients’ health seeking behavior need to be improved and personnel involved in surveillance sensitized on timeliness.