Shatha Elnakib, Ahmed K Ali, Kate Mieth, Venkatraman Chandra-Mouli
{"title":"Mapping the evidence on interventions that mitigate the health, educational, social and economic impacts of child marriage and address the needs of child brides: a systematic scoping review.","authors":"Shatha Elnakib, Ahmed K Ali, Kate Mieth, Venkatraman Chandra-Mouli","doi":"10.1080/26410397.2024.2449310","DOIUrl":"10.1080/26410397.2024.2449310","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>More than 650 million women alive today were married as children. Relative to efforts to prevent child marriage, efforts to support child brides have received much less attention. This review set out to map and describe interventions that support child brides. We performed a scoping review using seven electronic databases coupled with a grey literature search in January 2022. Data were extracted using a piloted extraction tool and findings were reported in narrative synthesis. A total of 34 projects were included in our review. Most projects focused on improving sexual and reproductive health (SRH) knowledge and behaviours among child brides, which was often achieved through a combination of SRH education, counselling and information provision, along with linkages to SRH services. Some interventions were health facility-based and aimed at improving responsiveness of health service providers to the needs of child brides. Very few described economic interventions as one component of a broader health intervention, and only three interventions focused on improving girls' educational outcomes. We also note the paucity of media-based interventions, despite their popularity among adolescents. Over time, interventions addressing the needs of child brides have increased, but the preponderance of evidence has focused on SRH interventions, with interventions that couple education with adolescent-friendly health services demonstrating promise. Interventions addressing other areas of health and social wellbeing of this group, such as mental health, sexual health, and economic independence, have been overlooked in comparison. The review highlights the need for additional empirical evidence on what works to support child brides.</p>","PeriodicalId":37074,"journal":{"name":"Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters","volume":" ","pages":"1-38"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142956413","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Andrea Whittaker, Trudie Gerrits, Karin Hammarberg, Lenore Manderson
{"title":"Access to assisted reproductive technologies in sub-Saharan Africa: fertility professionals' views.","authors":"Andrea Whittaker, Trudie Gerrits, Karin Hammarberg, Lenore Manderson","doi":"10.1080/26410397.2024.2355790","DOIUrl":"10.1080/26410397.2024.2355790","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Across sub-Saharan Africa, there remains disagreement among local expert providers over the best ways to improve access to assisted reproduction in low-income contexts. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted between 2021 and 2023 with 19 fertility specialists and 11 embryologists and one clinic manager from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda to explore issues surrounding access and potential low-cost IVF options. Lack of access to ART was variously conceptualised as a problem of high cost of treatment; lack of public funding for medical services and medication; poor policy awareness and prioritisation of fertility problems; a shortage of ART clinics and well-trained expert staff; the need for patients to travel long distances; and over-servicing within the largely privatised sector. All fertility specialists agreed that government funding for public sector assisted reproduction services was necessary to address access in the region. Other suggestions included: reduced medication costs by using mild stimulation protocols and oocyte retrievals under sedation instead of general anaesthetics. Insufficient data on low-cost interventions was cited as a barrier to their implementation. The lack of skilled embryologists on the continent was considered a major limitation to expanding ART services and the success of low-cost IVF systems. Very few specialists suggested that profits of pharmaceutical companies or ART clinics might be reduced to lessen the costs of treatments.</p>","PeriodicalId":37074,"journal":{"name":"Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters","volume":"32 1","pages":"2355790"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11172248/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141307033","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Eszter Kismödi, Emma Pitchforth, Tk Sundari Ravindran, Laura Ferguson, Mindy Jane Roseman, Jane Cottingham, Sapna Desai
{"title":"The continuing fight for abortion rights: taking stock of the evidence.","authors":"Eszter Kismödi, Emma Pitchforth, Tk Sundari Ravindran, Laura Ferguson, Mindy Jane Roseman, Jane Cottingham, Sapna Desai","doi":"10.1080/26410397.2024.2433822","DOIUrl":"10.1080/26410397.2024.2433822","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37074,"journal":{"name":"Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters","volume":" ","pages":"2433822"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11749288/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142740874","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mary Higgins, Sharon Cooley, Deirdre Hayes-Ryan, Brendan Dempsey
{"title":"Approaches to a crisis in early pregnancy: an explorative qualitative study of medical students and doctors in training in Ireland, using a story completion model.","authors":"Mary Higgins, Sharon Cooley, Deirdre Hayes-Ryan, Brendan Dempsey","doi":"10.1080/26410397.2024.2419150","DOIUrl":"10.1080/26410397.2024.2419150","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A crisis in early pregnancy can be due to an unplanned pregnancy or a suspected abnormality. Pregnant people have the right to unbiased and comprehensive advice of all options from healthcare providers. Using story completion models (SCM), the aim of this qualitative study was to explore the attitudes of medical students and doctors in training towards crisis pregnancy, specifically two scenarios: early unplanned pregnancy and fatal fetal abnormality (anencephaly). Participants were invited from medical students attending University College Dublin (UCD) and trainees in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) from July to December 2022. SCM involves giving the consenting participant an introduction to a hypothetical situation that acts as the beginning of a story and asking them to complete it. Stories were compiled and analysed using thematic analysis. Research Ethics Committee approval was given by both UCD and the RCPI. The standards for reporting qualitative research guidelines were followed. Eight doctors in training and six medical students consented to participate in the study; all but two medical students completed both stories to the required word count, giving 25 stories for analysis. For both situations, stories described a variety of approaches, all of which were based on the person's, or couple's, wishes, from continuing in pregnancy to deciding to end the pregnancy. SCM allowed detailed analysis of potentially sensitive subjects such as pregnancy options. This study showed that participating medical students and doctors in training recognise that pregnant people have the right to all choices in crisis pregnancy.</p>","PeriodicalId":37074,"journal":{"name":"Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters","volume":" ","pages":"2419150"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11721858/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142476736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"What do oral contraceptive pills have to do with human rights abuses in sport?","authors":"Katrina Karkazis, Michele Krech","doi":"10.1080/26410397.2024.2342105","DOIUrl":"10.1080/26410397.2024.2342105","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37074,"journal":{"name":"Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters","volume":" ","pages":"2342105"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11134067/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140866730","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ahmed K Ali, Alka Barua, Rajesh Mehta, Venkatraman Chandra-Mouli
{"title":"Nimble adaptations to sexual and reproductive health service provision to adolescents and young people in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.","authors":"Ahmed K Ali, Alka Barua, Rajesh Mehta, Venkatraman Chandra-Mouli","doi":"10.1080/26410397.2024.2372165","DOIUrl":"10.1080/26410397.2024.2372165","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, emerging evidence showed that the provision and use of a range of health services, including sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, were affected. Otherwise, there was little evidence on whether and how they were adapted to maintain the access of different population groups, including adolescents. The study aims to provide an overview of adaptations to adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) services carried out during the early phases of the pandemic in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The Human Reproduction Program (HRP) at the World Health Organization (WHO) called upon WHO and United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) regional offices to reach out to organisations that provided ASRH services to submit analytic case studies using a short-form survey. The study team charted information from 36 case studies and performed a content analysis. Results show that the adaptations covered a wide array of SRH services that were provided to a diverse group of adolescents. Most adaptations focused on SRH education and access to contraception in comparison to other SRH services. Over half of the case studies included mental health services, most of which were not provided before the pandemic. The adaptations varied between being face-to-face, remote, digital, and non-digital. Most adaptations complemented a pre-existing service and were nimble, feasible, and acceptable to the targeted adolescents. Lessons learned from this study could be extrapolated into other humanitarian settings and rapid responses for future public health emergencies, provided that rigorous evaluation takes place.</p>","PeriodicalId":37074,"journal":{"name":"Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters","volume":"32 1","pages":"2372165"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11271125/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141753005","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Eva Åkerman, Anna Wängborg, Maria Persson, Marie Klingberg-Allvin
{"title":"Experiences of menstrual health in the Nordic countries: a scoping review of qualitative research, applying an intersectional lens.","authors":"Eva Åkerman, Anna Wängborg, Maria Persson, Marie Klingberg-Allvin","doi":"10.1080/26410397.2024.2446081","DOIUrl":"10.1080/26410397.2024.2446081","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Achieving menstrual health is fundamental to gender equality, human rights, and the well-being of all people who menstruate. We undertook a scoping review to map the extent and range of qualitative studies on menstrual health in the Nordic countries and applied an intersectional lens in reporting the findings. The specific research questions we aimed to answer were (1) what types of menstrual health experiences were researched, (2) whose experiences and voices were being researched, and (3) what gaps exist in understanding the experiences and challenges encountered by diverse groups. Four databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles published between 2011 and 2023. Searches yielded 2733, and 22 articles met our inclusion criteria. Included studies were undertaken in Denmark (<i>n</i> = 5), Iceland (<i>n</i> = 1), Norway (<i>n</i> = 3), and Sweden (<i>n</i> = 13). The samples included menstruating people, healthcare professionals, and/or other professionals. Most of the included studies reported on menstrual experiences related to menstrual pain and disorders such as endometriosis. Studies focusing on understanding menstrual health experiences among people in vulnerable situations in the Nordic countries are lacking. We found that menstrual health experiences of menstruating people with the following identities were under-researched: people with disabilities, non-Nordic ethnicities, refugees, gender-diverse people, people experiencing homelessness, and young adolescents. The findings suggest that we have little knowledge and understanding of the experiences and challenges that might be faced by these groups in the Nordic countries. Findings of this scoping review can be used to inform future research directions and policy programming.</p>","PeriodicalId":37074,"journal":{"name":"Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters","volume":"32 1","pages":"2446081"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11834814/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143415606","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Meredith Evans, Alexandra Rego, Nkem Ogbonna, Kate Welsh, Sidrah K Zafar, Lucy C Barker, Anne Berndl, Janice Du Mont, Yona Lunsky, Amy McPherson, Lesley A Tarasoff, Ashley Vandermorris, Hilary K Brown
{"title":"Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to sexual and reproductive health services for women and gender-diverse people with disabilities in Canada: a qualitative study.","authors":"Meredith Evans, Alexandra Rego, Nkem Ogbonna, Kate Welsh, Sidrah K Zafar, Lucy C Barker, Anne Berndl, Janice Du Mont, Yona Lunsky, Amy McPherson, Lesley A Tarasoff, Ashley Vandermorris, Hilary K Brown","doi":"10.1080/26410397.2024.2441027","DOIUrl":"10.1080/26410397.2024.2441027","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental impact on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and rights globally. However, little is known about the experiences of people with disabilities accessing SRH services during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this community-engaged qualitative study, we examined COVID-related impacts on access to SRH services for people with disabilities. We interviewed 61 women and gender-diverse people in Canada from May 2022 to March 2023. Informed by disability reproductive justice, we identified four major themes through constructivist analysis. First, COVID-related changes to SRH service delivery disrupted access to care and caused disability-related health implications. Second, pandemic response measures changed SRH service accessibility: in-person accessibility barriers were amplified, new in-person accessibility barriers were introduced, and the transition to telehealth exacerbated, as well as mitigated, accessibility barriers. Third, COVID-related social changes (e.g. lockdowns) had disability-related SRH and rights implications. Fourth, disabled people recommended improving SRH services by enhancing funding, provider training, information and communication, disability accommodations, representation, and comprehensive community engagement. Cutting across these themes were disproportionate negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to SRH services for racialised women and gender-diverse people with disabilities. Failure to ensure SRH and rights for women and gender-diverse people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic undermined disability reproductive justice. Comprehensive disability community engagement is necessary to inform accessible SRH services and policies, both during and beyond a pandemic.</p>","PeriodicalId":37074,"journal":{"name":"Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters","volume":" ","pages":"2441027"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11730772/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142819657","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Karin Båge, Anna Kågesten, Olalekan Uthman, Mariano Salazar, Bi Puranen, Signe Svallfors, Anna Mia Ekström, Helena Litorp
{"title":"Attitudes toward sexual and reproductive health and rights and their associations with reproductive agency: a population-based cross-sectional study in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zimbabwe.","authors":"Karin Båge, Anna Kågesten, Olalekan Uthman, Mariano Salazar, Bi Puranen, Signe Svallfors, Anna Mia Ekström, Helena Litorp","doi":"10.1080/26410397.2024.2444725","DOIUrl":"10.1080/26410397.2024.2444725","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We investigated the association between values and attitudes toward sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and gender equality, with reproductive agency in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. Using 2020-21 World Values Survey (WVS) data (<i>n</i> = 3096), we utilised the SRHR Support Index including five subindices to gauge SRHR attitudes, the WVS Equality Index for gender equality values, and the perceived level of freedom of choice and control over whether, when, and how many children to have as a proxy for reproductive agency. Descriptive statistics, bivariate, and multivariable logistic regressions were used to analyse how values and attitudes differed between respondents of high vs low reproductive agency using the median as cut-off, stratified by country and sex. Country, education, subjective social class, and religion were associated with reproductive agency. Adjusted analyses indicated associations between supportive values and attitudes towards equitable masculinity norms, SRHR interventions and gender equality, with high reproductive agency. Associations varied more between countries than by sex. Findings suggest an association between SRHR and gender equality values and attitudes and the level of reproductive agency, and underscore the importance of addressing values and attitudes in context-specific interventions. Measures of SRHR progress should be critically reviewed and complemented with self-assessed - as opposed to researcher-ascribed - items to support the successful implementation of global SRHR agendas.</p>","PeriodicalId":37074,"journal":{"name":"Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters","volume":" ","pages":"2444725"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11849024/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142972497","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Josefina Pruneda Paz, Andrea García-Egea, Constanza Jacques-Aviñó, Ana Maria Besoaín Cornejo, Laura Medina-Perucha
{"title":"An intersectional approach on menstrual inequity as lived by women in circumstances of socioeconomic vulnerability in an urban and rural setting in Spain: a qualitative study.","authors":"Josefina Pruneda Paz, Andrea García-Egea, Constanza Jacques-Aviñó, Ana Maria Besoaín Cornejo, Laura Medina-Perucha","doi":"10.1080/26410397.2024.2422155","DOIUrl":"10.1080/26410397.2024.2422155","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Since menstrual health and menstrual inequity are determined by social power structures, this study proposes to analyse, from an intersectional perspective, the experiences of menstrual inequity of women and people who menstruate (PWM) (<i>≥</i>18 years) under circumstances of socioeconomic vulnerability in an urban and rural setting in Catalonia (Spain), focusing on menstrual poverty, menstrual management and access to health care for menstrual health. An exploratory and interpretative qualitative study was conducted. Venue-based convenience sampling was carried out, recruiting women from a non-governmental organisation and a primary health care centre. Eighteen individual semi-structured interviews were conducted between October 2022 and February 2023. Data were analysed through reflexive thematic analysis. Analysis revealed that menstrual care was generally a distant preoccupation that revolved around circumstances of socioeconomic vulnerability, housing, and productive/reproductive work. Menstrual poverty, menstrual management and menstrual self-care challenges, barriers to accessing health care for menstrual health, and menstrual taboo, stigma and discrimination were commonplace and deepened by socioeconomic vulnerability. In this way, women's menstrual experiences were rooted in intersecting axes of inequity, based on gender, race and class. Intersectional and critical participatory research, policy and practice are imperative to develop counter mechanisms that confront systems of privilege-oppression to modulate menstrual experience, health and equity.</p>","PeriodicalId":37074,"journal":{"name":"Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters","volume":" ","pages":"2422155"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11565678/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142509785","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}