BackgroundImmunization is one of the most effective health interventions averting an estimated 2–3 million deaths every year. In Nepal, as in most low-income countries, infants are immunized with standard WHO recommended vaccines. However, 16.4 % of children did not receive complete immunization by 12 months of age in Nepal in 2011. Studies from different parts of the world showed that incomplete immunization is even higher in slums. The objective of this study was to identify the predictors of incompletion of immunization among children aged 12–23 months living in the slums of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal.MethodsThe unmatched case-control study was conducted in 22 randomly selected slums of Kathmandu Valley. The sampling frame was first identified by complete enumeration of entire households of the study area from which 59 incompletely immunized children as cases and 177 completely immunized children as controls were chosen randomly in 1:3 ratio. Data were collected from the primary caretakers of the children. Backward logistic regression with 95 % confidence interval and adjusted odds ratio (AOR) were applied to assess the factors independently associated with incomplete immunization.ResultTwenty-six percent of the children were incompletely vaccinated. The coverage of BCG vaccine was 95.0 % while it was 80.5 % for measles vaccine. The significant predictors of incomplete immunization were the home delivery of a child, the family residing on rent, a primary caretaker with poor knowledge about the schedule of vaccination and negative perception towards vaccinating a sick child, conflicting priorities, and development of abscess following immunization.ConclusionReduction of abscess formation rate can be a potential way to improve immunization rates. Community health volunteers should increase their follow-up on children born at home and those living in rent. Health institutions and volunteers should be influential in creating awareness about immunization, its schedule, and post-vaccination side effects.

BackgroundDomestic violence during pregnancy is a public health problem which violates human rights and causes an adverse effect on both maternal and fetal health. The objectives of the study were to assess the prevalence of domestic violence among the pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic, to explore the associated factors, and to identify the perpetrators of domestic violence.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 404 pregnant women in their third trimester of pregnancy. Convenient sampling was used to select the study population. Data collection tools consisted of questionnaires on socio-demographic characteristics of the woman and her spouse, social support, and the woman’s attitude towards domestic violence, along with her experiences of psychological, physical, and sexual violence. Domestic violence was assessed using a questionnaire adapted from a World Health Organization multi-country study on women’s health and life experiences. Relationships between domestic violence and the various factors were determined by bivariate analysis using a chi-square test. Binary logistic regression with 95% confidence interval and adjusted odds ratio were then applied to assess the factors independently associated with domestic violence.ResultsMore than one-quarter (27.2%) of the pregnant women had experienced some form of violence. The most common form of violence was sexual violence (17.3%), followed by psychological violence (16.6%) and physical violence (3.2%). Husbands within the age group 25–34 years (AOR = 0.38), women married for 2–5 years (AOR = 0.42) and who had one or two children (AOR = 0.32) were negatively associated with domestic violence. Whereas the presence of husband’s controlling behavior (AOR = 1.88) and experience of violence before the current pregnancy (AOR = 24.55) increased the odds of experiencing violence during pregnancy. The husband was the major perpetrator in all type of violence.ConclusionsDomestic violence is common among pregnant women attending an antenatal clinic. It indicates a need for routine screening during antenatal visits to identify women experiencing violence and thus provide support services, thereby preventing them from adverse health consequences.

Qualitative research plays an important role in helping us describe, interpret and generate theories about complex phenomena in healthcare. Complete and transparent reporting of research informs readers about the significance and rigor of the work. The aim of this scientometric study was to determine the quality of reporting of qualitative research in nursing social science. Studies were identified by manually searching the table of contents for qualitative papers published in the June (or closest subsequent) 2018 issue of 115 nursing journals. Adherence with the 32-item Consolidated Criteria for REporting Qualitative (COREQ) research was determined for each study by two researchers. Additional information about the study (e.g., sample size, field of nursing) and the publishing journal (e.g., endorsement of COREQ) were also extracted. Using established criteria, COREQ compliance was coded either good (≥ 25 items), moderate (17 to 24), poor (9 to 16), very poor (≤ 8) based on the number of items addressed in each study. One hundred and ninety-seven manuscripts were included. The quality of reporting was generally rated as either moderate (57%) or poor (38%). Journal endorsement of qualitative reporting guidelines was associated with better reporting. The reporting of qualitative research in nursing social science journals is suboptimal. Researchers, authors, reviewers and journal editors need to ensure their papers comprehensively address the requirements of COREQ to ensure comprehensive and transparent reporting of their research.

Background Depression is a common comorbidity in type 2 diabetes. Studies have consistently shown that major depression is associated with decreased diabetic self-care behaviour. People with subthreshold depression experience greater functional impairment, have a poorer quality of life and use health services more than those without depressive symptoms. Although subthreshold depression impacts self-care behaviour, the relationship between subthreshold depression and diabetes self-care behaviour has not been systematically reviewed. The objective of this systematic review is to determine the association between subthreshold depression and self-care behaviour in adults with type 2 diabetes. Methods This protocol will follow the guideline of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols 2015 (PRISMA-P-2015). A systematic search of literature will be conducted for observational studies reporting the association between subthreshold depression and self-care behaviour in adults aged 18 years or over and diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Electronic databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Emcare and CINAHL will be searched using predefined search terms. Title and abstract, full-text screening and data extraction of identified articles will be done by two reviewers independently. Discrepancies will be resolved by a third author. The methodological quality of the included studies will be assessed using The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) risk of bias tools. The review results will be presented in the form of narrative synthesis, and if sufficient studies are available and variability among the studies is low, a random effects meta-analysis will be done to quantify the result. Discussion This review will synthesise evidence on the association between subthreshold depression and self-care behaviour in type 2 diabetic adults. The findings will be useful to researchers and policymakers to determine the most effective approach to overall diabetes management. The review will also identify research gaps in the current literature and provide direction for future research in this area of study. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42018116373 Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13643-019-1084-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.