BMJ public health最新文献

{"title":"Seroprevalence of syphilis and associated factors among pregnant women who attended antenatal care follow-up at public hospitals in Bahir Dar city, north-west Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.","authors":"Bantayehu Nega Arega, Wassihun Ayeligne Wassie, Lakachew Asrade Feleke, Adela Menberu Alemu","doi":"10.1136/bmjph-2024-002017","DOIUrl":"10.1136/bmjph-2024-002017","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Syphilis, caused by <i>Treponema pallidum</i>, remains a significant global public health concern, especially among pregnant women due to its severe impact on maternal and fetal health. Although the burden of syphilis and its risk factors has been extensively studied worldwide, data specific to Bahir Dar, particularly within the context of three public hospitals, remain limited. This is further compounded by the inconsistent implementation of existing prevention and treatment policies. Untreated syphilis can lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes, including spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, early neonatal death and congenital syphilis. This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of syphilis and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) at three public hospitals in Bahir Dar, North-West Ethiopia.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted among 551 pregnant women attending ANC at Tibebe Ghion Specialized Hospital, Felege Hiwot Comprehensive Specialized Hospital and Addis Alem Hospital from January to April 2023 Gregorian Calender (G.C). Participants were selected using systematic random sampling, and data were collected through structured interviews using a pretested questionnaire. Data were processed using EpiData V.3.1 and analysed with SPSS V.25, employing bivariate and multivariable logistic regression to identify significant factors.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The seroprevalence of syphilis was 2.4% (95% CI: 1.3-3.8), with a higher prevalence among urban residents (3.6%) compared with rural residents (1%). Significant associations were found between syphilis prevalence and a history of stillbirth (adjusted OR (AOR)=7.28; 95% CI: 1.05-24.87) and a history of active or previous sexually transmitted infections (AOR=5.3; 95% CI: 1.23-22.52).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The study's seroprevalence aligns with previous findings, emphasising the need for routine syphilis screening and treatment in ANC services. Special attention should be given to women with a history of stillbirth, other adverse pregnancy outcomes or sexually transmitted infections. Enhanced counselling on syphilis screening and treatment is essential to reduce the burden of syphilis and improve maternal and fetal health outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":101362,"journal":{"name":"BMJ public health","volume":"3 1","pages":"e002017"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12086934/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144103516","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Knowledge, attitude and determinants of post-abortion contraceptive use among women of reproductive age seeking care in healthcare facilities in Ile-Ife, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study.","authors":"Olabisi Muslimat Odekunle, Uchechi Grace Okonta","doi":"10.1136/bmjph-2024-001124","DOIUrl":"10.1136/bmjph-2024-001124","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Post-abortion contraception is the commencement of the chosen contraception method immediately after or within 48 hours of an abortion episode. It is a key strategy for the reduction of unintended pregnancies and repeated abortion.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>The study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude towards post-abortion contraception and examine the determinants of post-abortion contraceptive use among women of reproductive age seeking care in healthcare facilities in Ile-Ife.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>The study was a facility-based descriptive cross-sectional survey which employed a quantitative method.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>The study was conducted among women of reproductive age who have had abortion and are seeking care in the family planning units of healthcare facilities in Ile- Ife. 285 respondents were recruited for the study using a two-stage sampling technique. A pre-tested interviewer-administered structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data was analysed using IBM Statistical Product for Service Solutions (SPSS) version 23. Three levels of analyses were carried out-univariate, bivariate and multivariate-to determine the frequencies of variables and summary statistics, the association between awareness and knowledge of post-abortion contraception, attitude as well as post-abortion contraceptive use and to identify factors influencing post-abortion contraception use. The level of significance was determined at a p value of less than 0.05.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>53% had adequate knowledge of post-abortion contraception. 22% of the women had used or accepted the use of post-abortion contraceptives. The factors influencing post-abortion contraception use were educational status, socio-economic status, number of pregnancies and number of living children. The study concluded that post-abortion contraception use was low among women of reproductive age seeking abortion services.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The study concluded that post-abortion contraceptive use was low among women of reproductive age seeking abortion services. There is a need for increased knowledge of the importance of post-abortion contraception through community awareness and mass media. Further research on follow-up discontinuation rates of post-abortion contraception use should be investigated.</p>","PeriodicalId":101362,"journal":{"name":"BMJ public health","volume":"3 1","pages":"e001124"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12086890/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144103511","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Progression of obesity and abdominal obesity after the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia: a comparison of two cross-sectional population-based studies.","authors":"Valentina Cuellar-Rodríguez, Agustín Pérez-Londoño, Valentina Guatibonza-García, Carolina Betancourt-Villamizar, Carlos O Mendivil","doi":"10.1136/bmjph-2024-001075","DOIUrl":"10.1136/bmjph-2024-001075","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>We explored the changes in the prevalence and distribution of excess body adiposity in urban Colombia after the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We executed a population-based, stratified, multi-stage study of individuals aged 2-80 years from five Colombian cities, between November and December 2022. We explored the prevalences of excess adiposity measures and their association with socioeconomic variables and contrasted the results with the previous wave of the study, conducted in 2018.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We studied 2115 individuals (83.5% adults, 51.7% female). Between 2018 and 2022, the adult prevalence of excess body weight (EBW, body mass index >25 kg/m²) increased by 4.5% in males and decreased by 0.6% in females. Women had almost twice the prevalence of obesity as men. The prevalence of obesity for underage females soared from 7.6% in 2018 to 18.4% in 2022. Abdominal obesity increased by 10.3% in men, up to 39.8%. Adult female obesity was negatively associated with socioeconomic status (SES) (OR 2.01 (95% CI 1.33 to 3.04) for lowest SES relative to highest). Abdominal obesity among women in the lowest SES reached 55.2% in 2022. There was a strong negative relationship between education and EBW among women, the OR of obesity for women with only primary education relative to college graduates was 2.48 (95% CI 1.52 to 4.06).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The obesity epidemic worsened in urban Colombia after the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown, especially among adult males and underage females. The burden of excess adiposity is concentrated in women from disadvantaged groups.</p>","PeriodicalId":101362,"journal":{"name":"BMJ public health","volume":"3 1","pages":"e001075"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12086918/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144103515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modelling the potential spread of Clade Ib MPXV in Asian cities.","authors":"Shihui Jin, Gregory Gan, Akira Endo, Kiesha Prem, Rayner Kay Jin Tan, Jue Tao Lim, Keisuke Ejima, Borame L Dickens","doi":"10.1136/bmjph-2024-002285","DOIUrl":"10.1136/bmjph-2024-002285","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The ongoing 2023-2024 mpox outbreak in several African countries, driven by the novel Clade Ib strain, has resulted in imported cases being reported in Sweden, Thailand and India. The potential high transmissibility of this new strain and shifts in transmission modes may make territories in Asia, which were minimally affected by previous mpox waves, susceptible to community-wide transmission following importation. While this highlights the importance of early preparedness, current knowledge of the virus's transmission dynamics remains too limited to effectively inform policymaking and resource planning.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A compartmental model was constructed to characterise potential mpox transmission dynamics. Importation-triggered outbreaks were simulated in 37 Asian cities under scenarios with one, three and five initial local infections. The impacts of various non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), including isolation and quarantine, were projected and compared.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>Our simulations revealed substantial disparities in outbreak sizes among the 37 Asian cities with large-scale outbreaks expected in territories with a high proportion of sexually active individuals at risk or low immunity from smallpox vaccination. Total case counts in 1 year following initial local infections would increase linearly with initial infection size. In the scenario with three initial local infections, up to 340 cases per million residents were expected without interventions. Isolation for diagnosed cases was projected to lower the outbreak size by 43.8% (IQR: 42.7-44.5%), 67.8% (IQR: 66.5-68.9%), 80.8% (IQR: 79.5-82.0%) and 88.0% (IQR: 86.8-89.1%) when it reduced interpersonal contacts by 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%, respectively. Quarantining close contacts would contribute to a further decrease in cases of up to 22 percentage points over 1 year.</p><p><strong>Interpretation: </strong>A potential mpox outbreak in an Asian setting could be alleviated through strong surveillance and a timely response from stakeholders. NPIs are recommended for outbreak management due to their demonstrated effectiveness and practicability.</p>","PeriodicalId":101362,"journal":{"name":"BMJ public health","volume":"3 1","pages":"e002285"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12086938/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144103513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence and predictors of substance use as a factor in suicide in the USA, 2015-2020: a repeated cross-sectional analysis.","authors":"Julie A Phillips","doi":"10.1136/bmjph-2024-002145","DOIUrl":"10.1136/bmjph-2024-002145","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>US rates of substance abuse and suicide mortality increased dramatically in recent years, but little is known about how rising rates of drug and alcohol use are associated with suicide. This study explores the role of substance use in suicide between 2015 and 2020 and identifies individual and geographical factors associated with these patterns.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Repeated cross-sectional data on 103 817 suicide decedents drawn from the 2015-2020 National Violent Death Reporting System, combined with Census geographical data, are examined. Available toxicology reports are investigated to identify shifts in substances involved in suicide. A mixed effects logistic model is applied to identify factors associated with the probability of substance use as a precipitating circumstance for suicide.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Close to one in five suicide decedents had a substance-related circumstance. Relative to 2015, the probability of drug or alcohol problems surrounding suicide is higher in subsequent years (eg, in 2020, the probability is 2.6% and 2.5% higher, respectively). The detection of alcohol, the substance most identified in toxicology reports, remained stable over the period. Positive tests for prescription opioids and benzodiazepines declined while those for illicit opioids, marijuana and amphetamines increased. The probability of a drug abuse suicide circumstance is higher among white (Average Marginal Effect (AME) =0.038) and male (AME=0.006) decedents, and lower among those with a college degree (AME=-0.099) and who are foreign-born (AME=-0.078). For alcohol-related suicide circumstances, the corresponding AMEs are 0.033 (white), 0.055 (male), -0.045 (college degree) and -0.035 (foreign-born). After adjusting for individual characteristics, county median household income is associated with a reduced probability of drug abuse circumstances but a higher probability of alcohol problems. Unmet need for treatment at the state level is associated with a higher probability of alcohol-related suicide (AME=0.022).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Findings suggest shifts in the substances linked to suicide and reveal the importance of a place's social structure in shaping the substance use-suicide nexus.</p>","PeriodicalId":101362,"journal":{"name":"BMJ public health","volume":"3 1","pages":"e002145"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12086898/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144103514","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sexual behaviours and lifestyles associated with poor mental health among British adults during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a large, quasirepresentative, cross-sectional web-panel survey (Natsal-COVID).","authors":"Emily Jordan, Emily Dema, Soazig Clifton, Andrew Copas, Julie Riddell, Raquel Bosó Pérez, Catherine H Mercer, Kirstin Rebecca Mitchell, Nigel Field, Pam Sonnenberg","doi":"10.1136/bmjph-2024-001443","DOIUrl":"10.1136/bmjph-2024-001443","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>A national lockdown was implemented in the UK from March 2020 to reduce COVID-19 transmission which impacted mental health and sexual behaviours. This study investigated the association between sexual behaviours and poor mental health among British adults during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p><strong>Methods and analysis: </strong>The Natsal-COVID web-panel survey is a quasirepresentative population sample of 6654 British adults (18-59 years; July-August 2020). We examined associations between sexual behaviours in the 4 months after the start of the first lockdown and poor mental health in the past 2 weeks (Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-2 for depression and Generalised Anxiety Disorder-2 for anxiety, combined into PHQ-4 for psychological distress) using multivariable logistic regression.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among participants with complete data (n=6500), 54.8% reported psychological distress (28.0% mild, 15.6% moderate and 11.3% severe). After adjusting for age, gender and relationship status, psychological distress was higher among participants identifying as bisexual (adjusted OR 2.13 (95% CI: 1.61 to 2.82)) or other minority sexual identities (3.20, 1.60-6.41) compared with heterosexual. Psychological distress was also higher among those reporting experiencing sexual difficulties (very often/always vs never: 3.70, 2.64-5.18) or 2+partners since lockdown (compared with one: 3.90, 2.78-5.47). Psychological distress was less among participants reporting higher sexual frequency (5+occasions of sex in the past 4 weeks vs none: 0.64, 0.48-0.86).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Psychological distress was common among British adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this was associated with sexual behaviours. These findings have important implications for the design and implementation of interventions for populations at risk of poor mental and sexual health, including during international crises.</p>","PeriodicalId":101362,"journal":{"name":"BMJ public health","volume":"3 1","pages":"e001443"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12086888/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144103517","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Health and economic evaluation of cytomegalovirus vaccination strategy among young women in China: a modelling study.","authors":"Yi-Wen Ge, Meng-Zhao Yin, Jun-Tao Shu, You-Jia Wu, Bin Zhang, Yin-Hua Jiang, Gang Qin","doi":"10.1136/bmjph-2024-002522","DOIUrl":"10.1136/bmjph-2024-002522","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection imposes a substantial economic burden on both families and society in China. There is currently a paucity of dynamic models to study cytomegalovirus (CMV) vaccination strategies for China's high-seroprevalence population (over 95%). Recent clinical trials demonstrated that the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine candidate, mRNA-1647, exhibited potential efficacy in both preinfection and postinfection contexts. This study aims to assess the cost-effectiveness of various CMV vaccination strategies for Chinese young women.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>An age-structured dynamic model was adopted, using Mathematica software, to simulate three strategies: (1) no vaccination (status quo); (2) pre-marriage vaccination (age 20-28 years); (3) reproductive-age vaccination (age 20-40 years). The vaccine was assumed to have 50% coverage and 50% efficacy for the first 5 years, with efficacy gradually decreasing over the next 15 years, costing US$300 per treatment course. This study period covers 2025-2050. Health outcomes included reductions in cCMV infection incidence, morbidity and mortality. We conducted cost-effectiveness, scenario and sensitivity analyses, discounting costs and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) at 3% annually. The strategy would be considered cost-effective if the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was below China's 2023 per capita gross domestic product (US$12 675).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>By 2050, pre-marriage and reproductive-age vaccination strategies could prevent cCMV infection incidence by 38.8% (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 33.7% to 43.5%) and 43.3% (38.3% to 47.1%), respectively, with ICERs of US$4751 (4124 to 5378) and US$10 814 (10 290 to 11 338) per DALY averted compared with the status quo. However, the reproductive-age strategy is not cost-effective, with an ICER of US$25 553 (12 566 to 36 126) versus the pre-marriage strategy.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Prioritising pre-marriage vaccination could control cCMV infection in China. Our findings would inform public health policies and guide future research on optimising CMV vaccination strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":101362,"journal":{"name":"BMJ public health","volume":"3 1","pages":"e002522"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12086919/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144103473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Factors associated with the effectiveness of interventions to prevent obesity in children: a synthesis of evidence from 204 randomised trials.","authors":"Annabel L Davies, Francesca Spiga, Deborah M Caldwell, Jelena Savović, Jennifer C Palmer, Eve Tomlinson, Theresa Hm Moore, Carolyn D Summerbell, Julian Higgins","doi":"10.1136/bmjph-2024-001707","DOIUrl":"10.1136/bmjph-2024-001707","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>We aim to identify effective characteristics of behavioural change (physical activity and diet) interventions that prevent obesity in children aged 5 to 18 years.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We re-analysed data from two Cochrane systematic reviews published in 2024 using a Bayesian multi-level meta-regression analysis with intervention and trial characteristics coded according to an analytic framework co-developed with stakeholders.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We included 204 trials (255 intervention arms) reporting data on body mass index (BMI), either unstandardised or measured as a z-score (zBMI) or percentile. Interventions were effective on average (MD in zBMI -0.037, 95% credible interval -0.053 to -0.022). The greatest effects were associated with medium-term follow-up (nine to <15 months) and older children (12 to 18 years). We found evidence of small beneficial effects for interventions targeting physical activity alone compared with diet alone (difference in MDs -0.227,-0.362 to -0.090) and small unfavourable effects for interventions that involved a change to the structural environment (typically the school food environment) (difference in MDs 0.05, 0.017 to 0.085). Accounting for interactions between covariates, the most effective combination of intervention characteristics was to intervene in the school setting, with an individualised element to delivery, targeting physical activity, using multiple strategies of short duration and high intensity and involving modification of behaviour through participation in activities.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The most effective characteristic to include in a behavioural change intervention to prevent obesity in children aged 5-18 years was targeting of physical activity. This should not be interpreted as evidence that attempts to modify diet are not beneficial. Being physically active and consuming a healthy diet during childhood offer many important benefits beyond contributing to healthy weight and growth. Our findings suggest that interventions to prevent obesity in children should consider increasing their focus on the promotion of physical activity and consider other effective characteristics we identify here.</p>","PeriodicalId":101362,"journal":{"name":"BMJ public health","volume":"3 1","pages":"e001707"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12086980/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144103408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Labour companionship and respectful treatment of women during childbirth: a cross-sectional study across 16 hospitals in Benin, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda.","authors":"Soha El-Halabi, Kristi Sidney Annerstedt, Christian Agossou, Fadhlun M Alwy Al-Beity, Andrea B Pembe, Phillip Wanduru, Bianca Kandeya, Jean-Paul Dossou, Helle Molsted-Alvesson, Meghan A Bohren, Claudia Hanson","doi":"10.1136/bmjph-2024-002462","DOIUrl":"10.1136/bmjph-2024-002462","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Evidence suggests that women value and benefit from having a labour companion during childbirth. However, the applicability of the evidence to low-income and lower-middle-income countries is limited and varies. Thus, we assessed the association between the presence of labour companions and mistreatment in 16 hospitals of Benin, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a cross-sectional survey using a validated questionnaire administered to women at discharge after birth between December 2021 and March 2024. The main outcomes were factor-weighted respectful treatment score and its subscores on maintained respect and dignity, privacy and maintained confidentiality and no physical and verbal abuse. The independent variable was labour companionship. We assessed the association between labour companionship and mistreatment using a linear regression model with fixed effects and cluster robust standard errors.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the 4006 included women, 39% (n=1573) had a companion during labour and/or birth. Women across the four countries and regardless of companions' presence reported high degrees of maintained privacy and confidentiality (subscores ranging between 9.5/10 in Benin to 9.9/10 in Malawi). The presence of a labour companion was significantly associated with the absence of physical and verbal abuse experiences (β=0.07; p=0.004; 95% CI: 0.02; 0.12).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our study adds evidence on the positive relation between labour companionship and physical and verbal abuse. The coverage of labour companionship was low across the four countries. We call for the implementation of labour companionship to allow for greater benefits of this practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":101362,"journal":{"name":"BMJ public health","volume":"3 1","pages":"e002462"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12086892/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144103512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Retraction: Knowledge about Rh-incompatibility and its associated factors among antenatal care recipients in public hospitals of Wolaita zone, 2022: facility-based cross-sectional study.","authors":"","doi":"10.1136/bmjph-2023-000422ret","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjph-2023-000422ret","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1136/bmjph-2023-000422.].</p>","PeriodicalId":101362,"journal":{"name":"BMJ public health","volume":"3 1","pages":"e000422ret"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12056614/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144055835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}