Infodemiology

Using Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to Access Google Data and Gain Insights Into Searches on Birth Control in Louisiana and Mississippi, 2014-2018: Infoveillance Study.

Ndola Prata
Karen Weidert
Anne Zepecki
Elina Yon
Elizabeth Pleasants
Petrice Sams-Abiodun
Sylvia Guendelman
2021

Background: It is now common to search for health information online. A 2013 Pew Research Center survey found that 77% of online health seekers began their query at a search engine. The widespread use of online health information seeking also applies to women's reproductive health. Despite online interest in birth control, not much is known about related interests and concerns reflected in the search terms in the United States.

Objective: In this study, we identify the top search terms on Google related to birth control in Louisiana and Mississippi...

Maternal mortality due to abortion complications in forcibly displaced populations: A study protocol for a community-facility capture-recapture (CFCR) study

Blake Erhardt-Ohren
Dipika Paul
Anik Mahmud
Anika Tarannum
Karen Weidert
Altaf Hossain
Sayed Rubayet
Ndola Prata
2025

There is a paucity of research exploring abortion complication-related morbidity and mortality in humanitarian settings. The most recent data we have to understand the impact of global negligence on forcibly displaced persons’ reproductive health needs in humanitarian emergencies is from the 1999 United Nations Population Fund’s annual report, which estimated that 25-50% of maternal deaths in refugee settings were due to complications from unsafe abortion. This study will investigate maternal death surveillance and reporting (MDSR). The protocol will be implemented in a refugee setting:...

Revisiting community-based distribution programs: are they still needed?

Ndola Prataa
Farnaz Vahidniaa
Malcolm Pottsa
Ingrid Dries-Daffnerb
2005

Community-based distribution (CBD) programs are the optimum way of reaching people in rural areas of developing countries where conventional methods of delivery do not exist or fail. CBD programs are needed to meet the needs for contraception in rural communities and isolated city neighborhoods in developing countries.

Community-based distribution (CBD) programs are the optimum way of reaching people in rural areas of developing countries where conventional methods of delivery do not exist or fail. This paper reviews findings and experiences from over 30 years of efforts to...