Preventing mother-to-child transmission: factors affecting mothers\' choice of feeding — a case study from Cameroon

This paper reports on factors influencing the decision of mothers regarding the type of feeding method for their babies in a rural setting in Cameroon. The aim of the study was to ascertain the proportion of mothers choosing the different methods of feeding, to determine the various factors influencing their choices, and to ascertain the relationships of these factors to their respective choices. Questionnaires were used on 108 HIV-positive mothers who had delivered babies and who were administered nevirapine at least 3 months prior to the study. A focus group discussion with mothers also took place. Findings were that more mothers (84%) chose breastfeeding than artificial feeding (16%), while a minority (4%) selected mixed feeding. Factors found to militate against artificial feeding were cost (69%), stigma (64%), family pressure (44%), inconvenience in preparation/administration (38%), prior education from health workers (23%), and loss of special attention from family (8%). On the other hand, advice of health worker (44%), ill health (19.5%), free milk (12.5%), job pressure (12.5%) and loss of beauty (12.5%) were found to militate against breastfeeding. A direct relationship was also found between age, educational level, income size, marital status and choice of feeding. Policies targeting stigma reduction and socio-cultural factors affecting the choice of feeding are needed to optimise uptake of the less risky methods of feeding which could in turn contribute to a reduction in transmission. Key words: HIV/AIDS, mother-to-child transmission prevention, feeding. La prévention de la transmission mère-enfant: les facteurs influençant le choix de la mère sur la méthode d'allaitement – une etude de cas du Cameroun RÉSUMÉ Cette communication présente des facteurs qui influencent la décision des mères concernant la méthode d\'allaitement de leur nourrissons, en zone rurale au Cameroun. Le but de cette étude était de s\'assurer de la proportion de mères qui choisissent de méthodes différentes d\'allaitement, de déterminer les facteurs influençant leur choix et d\'étudier la relation entre ces facteurs et les méthodes d\'allaitement choisies. Pour recueillir des données, un questionnaire a été utilisé auprès de 108 mères séropositives qui ont des nourrissons. Ces mères étaient sur le traitement de la névirapine depuis au moins 3 mois avant le début de cette étude. Une discussion d\'un groupe de foyer de mères a eu lieu. Les résultats ont montré que plus de 84% de mères ont choisi l\'allaitement maternel contre 16% qui ont choisi l\'allaitement artificiel alors qu\'une minorité (4%) ont choisi l\'allaitement mixte (maternel et artificiel). Les raisons contre l\'allaitement artificiel sont les suivants: le coût (69%); la stigmatisation (64%); les pressions familiales (44%); les inconvénients liés à la préparation et l\'administration du lait artificiel (38%); une éducation préliminaire de la part du personnel soignant (23%) et le manque de soins particuliers de la part de la famille (8%). D\'autre part, les facteurs qui favorisent l\'allaitement artificiel sont les suivants: les conseils du personnel de santé (44%); la mauvaise santé (19.5%); du lait artificiel gratuit (12.5%) et la perte de beauté (12.5%). Nous avons constaté une relation entre l\'âge de la femme, le niveau d\'éducation, le niveau du revenu, le statut civil et le choix d\'allaitement. Il est nécessaire de mettre en place des politiques visant la réduction de la stigmatisation et les facteurs socioculturels qui influencent le choix d\'une méthode d\'allaitement afin de maximiser une compréhension de méthodes d\'allaitement à moindre risque qui par la suite pourrait contribuer à la réduction de transmission. Mots clés :VIH/SIDA, prévention de la transmission mère-enfant, allaitement. Sahara J Vol.1(3) 2004: 132-13

The Journey to R4D: An institutional history of an Australian Initiative on Food Security in Africa

Internal Revie

Search for nucleon decays with EXO-200

A search for instability of nucleons bound in $^{136}$Xe nuclei is reported with 223 kg$\cdot$yr exposure of $^{136}$Xe in the EXO-200 experiment. Lifetime limits of 3.3$\times 10^{23}$ and 1.9$\times 10^{23}$ yrs are established for nucleon decay to $^{133}$Sb and $^{133}$Te, respectively. These are the most stringent to date, exceeding the prior decay limits by a factor of 9 and 7, respectively

Deep Neural Networks for Energy and Position Reconstruction in EXO-200

We apply deep neural networks (DNN) to data from the EXO-200 experiment. In the studied cases, the DNN is able to reconstruct the relevant parameters - total energy and position - directly from raw digitized waveforms, with minimal exceptions. For the first time, the developed algorithms are evaluated on real detector calibration data. The accuracy of reconstruction either reaches or exceeds what was achieved by the conventional approaches developed by EXO-200 over the course of the experiment. Most existing DNN approaches to event reconstruction and classification in particle physics are trained on Monte Carlo simulated events. Such algorithms are inherently limited by the accuracy of the simulation. We describe a unique approach that, in an experiment such as EXO-200, allows to successfully perform certain reconstruction and analysis tasks by training the network on waveforms from experimental data, either reducing or eliminating the reliance on the Monte Carlo.Comment: Accepted version. 33 pages, 28 figure

Measurement of the Spectral Shape of the beta-decay of 137Xe to the Ground State of 137Cs in EXO-200 and Comparison with Theory

We report on a comparison between the theoretically predicted and experimentally measured spectra of the first-forbidden non-unique $\beta$-decay transition ^{137}\textrm{Xe}(7/2^-)\to\,^{137}\textrm{Cs}(7/2^+). The experimental data were acquired by the EXO-200 experiment during a deployment of an AmBe neutron source. The ultra-low background environment of EXO-200, together with dedicated source deployment and analysis procedures, allowed for collection of a pure sample of the decays, with an estimated signal-to-background ratio of more than 99-to-1 in the energy range from 1075 to 4175 keV. In addition to providing a rare and accurate measurement of the first-forbidden non-unique $\beta$-decay shape, this work constitutes a novel test of the calculated electron spectral shapes in the context of the reactor antineutrino anomaly and spectral bump.Comment: Version as accepted by PR