Journal of Biosocial Science最新文献

{"title":"Rural-urban differentials in fertility levels and fertility preferences in West Bengal, India: a district-level analysis - ERRATUM.","authors":"Sayantani Chatterjee","doi":"10.1017/S0021932026100686","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021932026100686","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47742,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biosocial Science","volume":" ","pages":"1"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149197140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Divergent fertility responses to cyclones and floods: a mixed-methods study from rural Bangladesh.","authors":"Khandaker Jafor Ahmed, Yan Tan, Dianne Rudd","doi":"10.1017/S0021932026100662","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0021932026100662","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Over the past decade, Bangladesh has experienced substantial demographic change alongside increasing climate-related disruption. This study examines the links between extreme climatic events and fertility among married Bangladeshi women of childbearing age who already have children, focusing on how cyclones and floods relate to fertility behaviour in cyclone- and flood-prone villages. A mixed-methods design was used, drawing on 544 household surveys, 74 in-depth interviews with women, 10 focus group discussions with men, and 8 key informant interviews. Comparing two ecologically distinct sites allowed examination of how communities experience and respond to different hazards. The findings indicate divergent fertility patterns by hazard type. In the cyclone-prone site, physical destruction, displacement, and disrupted health-care access were associated with lower fertility. In the flood-prone site, recurrent inundation, reliance on children's labour, and constrained contraceptive access were associated with higher fertility. Socio-demographic factors, including education, age at marriage, and contraceptive access, were also strongly associated with fertility behaviour. Households in the cyclone-prone area showed greater livelihood vulnerability and lower fertility, whereas those in the flood-prone area showed higher fertility alongside elevated child mortality and a marked preference for sons, who were perceived as better able to assist in disaster recovery. These results suggest that extreme climatic events are associated with differentiated fertility responses, shaped by socio-demographic context, and point to the value of integrating reproductive health services into disaster risk reduction. The study highlights the intersection of climate change, socio-demographic factors, and reproductive health and offers evidence on how hazard-type conditions fertility responses, with implications for climate adaptation and population health policy in climate-vulnerable regions such as Bangladesh.</p>","PeriodicalId":47742,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biosocial Science","volume":" ","pages":"354-392"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148964004","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Understanding contraceptive use behaviours among women with disabilities in low-resource settings in Ghana: a qualitative study.","authors":"Christiana Asiedu, Gifty Akosua Adzigbey, Isaac Anane, Abigail Ohemaa Mensah, Emmanuella Florence Odi Asiedu","doi":"10.1017/S0021932026100650","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0021932026100650","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This qualitative study explores the contraceptive use behaviours among women with disabilities in low-resource settings in Ghana, a group whose reproductive health needs are often overlooked in mainstream family planning programmes. Sixteen women with visual, physical, and hearing impairments in Apam, Central Region, were purposively selected to participate in semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted in their preferred languages, including Ghanaian Sign Language. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to identify key patterns in the data, revealing four main themes: (1) pathways for acquiring contraceptive knowledge, which included institutional outreach, maternal health visits, and informal peer networks; (2) determinants of non-utilisation, such as fear of side effects, religious stigma, and the desire to have children for future caregiving support; (3) drivers of modern contraceptive uptake, including the pursuit of educational and vocational goals, partner support, and the desire to prevent obstetric trauma; and (4) structural and systemic health inequalities, characterised by communication barriers, inaccessible physical infrastructure, and inconsistent provider attitudes. The findings advance scientific knowledge by moving beyond a simple narrative of unmet need to illustrate how women with disabilities exercise reproductive agency within a complex landscape of intersecting personal, social, and structural constraints. The novel findings highlight the dual role of informal networks in disseminating both accurate information and persistent myths, as well as the nuanced ways in which fertility is viewed as a long-term survival strategy in the absence of robust social support. These insights inform policy by underscoring the urgent need for disability-inclusive family planning services. This requires a multi-pronged approach that includes accessible communication through sign language interpretation, disability-sensitivity training for healthcare workers, retrofitting health facilities to improve physical access, and linking contraceptive services with broader social protection programmes to address the root causes of non-use.</p>","PeriodicalId":47742,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biosocial Science","volume":" ","pages":"339-353"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148563121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Perspectives on antibiotic stewardship in the management of diarrhoea among children under five in Bangladesh: insights from clinicians and caregivers.","authors":"Mohammad Ashraful Amin, Melissa H Watt, Aparna D Mangadu, Zahid Hasan Khan, Ishtiakul Islam Khan, Sarah A Dallas, Olivia R Hanson, Md Taufiqul Islam, Debashish Biswas, Jyoti Bhushan Das, Mohammad Saeed Munim, Ahmed Nawsher Alam, Ridwan Mostafa Shihab, Tahmina Shirin, Eric J Nelson, Firdausi Qadri, Daniel T Leung, Ashraful Islam Khan","doi":"10.1017/S0021932026100674","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021932026100674","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Antibiotic resistance is a critical global health threat, with over a million deaths linked to resistant infections every year. Inappropriate antibiotic use for childhood diarrhoeal illness is a significant contributor to antimicrobial resistance. This is particularly important in low-resource settings where antibiotics are often used without clear clinical indication. This study explored the knowledge and perspectives of antibiotic stewardship among clinicians and caregivers of paediatric patients in Bangladesh. In-depth interviews were conducted with 18 clinicians and 36 patient caregivers across three government hospitals. While few clinicians were familiar with the term 'antibiotic stewardship', most understood its core principles and supported judicious prescribing. Caregivers were generally unfamiliar with the concept of antimicrobial stewardship, though a few acknowledged the risks of antibiotic overuse. Clinicians described informal stewardship efforts but highlighted the absence of structured programmes. Key challenges to stewardship included community-level antibiotic dispensing by informal providers, staffing shortages, caregiver expectations for antibiotics, and pressure to satisfy families' perceived expectations. Despite barriers, clinicians expressed support for educational initiatives and system-level efforts to promote antibiotic stewardship. These findings underscore the need for integrated, facility- and community-based approaches like decision-making support tools for providers, institutional reviews of antibiotic use, and community education on the dangers of inappropriate antibiotic use. Strengthening antibiotic stewardship in low-resource settings like Bangladesh is essential to curb misuse and combat the growing threat of antibiotic resistance.</p>","PeriodicalId":47742,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biosocial Science","volume":"58 5","pages":"393-403"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149041281","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the factors behind single-child households in Iranian families: a qualitative study.","authors":"Javad Yoosefi Lebni, Ahmad Ahmadi, Mandana Saki, Rana Hosseini, Bahar Kkosravi, Murat Yildirim, Seyed Fahim Irandoost","doi":"10.1017/S0021932026100601","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0021932026100601","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Single childhood is a growing social phenomenon in Iran that occurs under the influence of various factors that need to be identified. Therefore, the current research was conducted to explain the reasons behind only single children in Western Iran. This qualitative research was conducted using a conventional qualitative content analysis approach in Lorestan province, western Iran. The study participants were parents with one child who no longer wanted to have more children. Key informants were also involved in the study. To identify participants, purposive and snowball sampling were used. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 29 couples with one child and seven key informants until saturation was reached. Data analysis was conducted using the Graneheim and Lundman qualitative content analysis approach with the assistance of MAXQDA software (version 2020). Analysis of the interviews obtained four categories, 16 subcategories, and 205 initial codes. The main categories were (1) past negative experiences (concerns about the mother and child's health, negative experiences with the first child), (2) weak support systems (lack of a supportive environment, dissatisfaction with married life), (3) changing social discourses on childbearing and parenting (spread of individualism, normalization of single-childing in society, considering having a child as more of a limitation, formation of new gender attitudes among women, changes in parental expectations of children, fading of religious beliefs encouraging childbearing, idealism in child-rearing, increased knowledge and access to contraceptives), and (4) inability to overcome challenges (financial challenges, lack of a suitable living environment, social hopelessness, missing opportunities for re-parenthood). Single-child families represent a complex phenomenon driven by a multitude of factors, necessitating interventions at the individual, family, and societal levels to address it. Enhancing financial support, expanding social welfare programmes, emphasizing religious norms that encourage childbearing, strengthening family bonds, and providing appropriate parenting models can potentially increase fertility intentions and behaviours.</p>","PeriodicalId":47742,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biosocial Science","volume":" ","pages":"317-338"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148449842","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The role of social support in the decision to migrate for childbirth: qualitative evidence from India.","authors":"Rutuja Patil, Aanchal Narang, Alison El Ayadi, Kajal Tonde, Rachel Murro, Shivani Khadilkar, Dhiraj Agarwal, Sanjay Juvekar, Nadia Diamond-Smith","doi":"10.1017/S0021932026100613","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0021932026100613","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Temporary Childbirth Migration (TCM),</b> where women return to their natal homes during or after pregnancy, is a common but understudied practice in India and South Asia. This study examines the influence of social support systems on TCM decisions among Indian women, focusing on the roles of husbands, in-laws, and parents. The study was conducted in the Vadu Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) in Western Maharashtra, India, and involved 41 in-depth interviews with triads comprising women, their husbands, and mothers-in-law. Participants varied in age, education, occupation, marriage, migration type, and delivery method and included women with infants up to two years old. Data were analysed using rapid and traditional coding approaches with predefined and emergent codes. Findings were categorised under four key domains of social support: emotional, financial, instrumental, and informational. Emotional support from mothers fosters a stress-free environment; financial support from family influences location; instrumental support for household tasks differs across settings; and informational guidance from experienced family members guides expectant mothers. Healthcare access, household status, and the husband's role also shape migration choices. Women prioritise proximity to medical facilities, comfort, and freedom in their natal homes. Decisions are typically inclusive, involving multiple family members. The study shows that social support, cultural norms, and practical needs influence TCM decisions, and further research is needed to support women's choices during the perinatal period. In conclusion, recognising emotional, financial, informational, and instrumental support can help providers and policymakers improve maternal and child health outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":47742,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biosocial Science","volume":" ","pages":"255-267"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148413382","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the lived experience of economic insecurity and health among people accessing charity-run food provision services in Bristol, UK - CORRIGENDUM.","authors":"Geneviève Stone, Angeliki Papadaki","doi":"10.1017/S0021932026100637","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0021932026100637","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47742,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biosocial Science","volume":" ","pages":"316"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148392155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Subjective biology: how perceived fecundity influences relationship satisfaction and stability.","authors":"Zafer Buyukkececi, Mine Kühn, Siri Eldevik Haberg, Cecilia Ramlau-Hansen, Mikko Myrskylä","doi":"10.1017/S0021932026100625","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0021932026100625","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In high-income countries, fertility is increasingly postponed into ages when fecundity declines, elevating the risk of unmet reproductive goals. In this context, how individuals perceive their own and their partner's reproductive potential may carry important implications for well-being and relationship stability, long before clinical infertility is diagnosed. Drawing on 13 waves of longitudinal data from the German Family Panel (pairfam), this study uses individual fixed-effects models to examine how within-person changes in perceived fecundity - both one's own and one's partner's - are related to life satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and union dissolution. By capturing both individual and partner assessments, this approach emphasizes the couple as the key unit of reproductive experience. Declines in both own and partner's perceived fecundity are associated with lower life and relationship satisfaction. However, perceptions of a partner's fecundity exert a stronger influence on relationship outcomes than self-perceptions. In particular, decreases in partner-perceived fecundity increase the risk of separation, a pattern not observed for changes in one's own fecundity. These associations do not vary significantly by gender but are moderated by parental status and age, with effects being weaker among parents and older individuals. By integrating both self- and partner assessments of fecundity, this study advances a dyadic, life course perspective on fertility. It shows that subjective reproductive potential functions as a relational stressor with meaningful consequences for emotional well-being and relationship trajectories.</p>","PeriodicalId":47742,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biosocial Science","volume":" ","pages":"268-292"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148413345","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Decision-making in contraceptive use among childfree couples: cultural and structural influences in India and Canada.","authors":"Chandni Bhambhani, Anand Inbanathan","doi":"10.1017/S0021932026100649","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0021932026100649","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The term 'childfree' differs from 'childless' not only as a distinction between a deliberate choice and a condition caused by circumstances, but it also indicates the ongoing efforts of childfree couples to prevent conception through contraception. The choice to remain childfree develops gradually, and for many, it is not decided at the outset. Thus, questions arise about the contraceptives that couples prefer and whether these preferences change as their decision to stay childfree becomes more certain. To explore this, a thematic analysis was conducted following joint interviews with thirty-six heterosexual childfree couples, eighteen each from India and Canada, to identify patterns in their experiences with choosing diverse modes of contraception. Distinctive birth control strategies emerged in the accounts of childfree couples from Canada and India. Among Canadian participants, it was discovered that they utilised a variety of contraceptives at different stages of their relationship, whereas most Indian participants preferred and relied on the male barrier method. The differences in the preferred methods of contraception, as well as the actually used contraception, highlighted the significance of how individual characteristics such as education, occupation, and income interact with cultural and institutional influence.</p>","PeriodicalId":47742,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biosocial Science","volume":" ","pages":"293-315"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148406331","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Advancing urban exposome research through the integration of qualitative and quantitative approaches in epidemiological research.","authors":"Ana Isabel Ribeiro, José Pedro Silva","doi":"10.1017/S0021932026100595","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021932026100595","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The notion of 'urban exposome' brings promise to the public health and epidemiology fields of inquiry, particularly within research projects conducted within birth cohorts. However, it is also challenging. The present paper addresses how combining qualitative methods with numerical data on exposures and health outcomes may help to fulfil that promise while posing important challenges to researchers. Quantitative methods based on Geographic Information System and other geo-technologies establish the linkage between participants' residential locations and geospatial datasets, generating many quantitative measurements of environmental exposures throughout participants' life course since birth. Yet, abstracted quantitative measurements alone do not capture lived experiences and do not allow for a rich inquiry about the complex and situated webs of social, physical, and biological phenomena that shape their bodies. Qualitative approaches may enhance quantitative data collected from sensors, blood samples, and physical examinations. These methods help to uncover, with depth and nuance, how individuals build meaning, navigate their surroundings, and how their complex contexts shape their lives and health, strengthening epidemiological evidence. In other words, they may help produce more data points and provide context, thus improving the interpretation of quantitative measurements. Besides, some of these methods promote reflection, collective discussion, and community empowerment. By integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches, researchers can obtain a more holistic and contextualised understanding of the external urban exposome. Multi-methods and mixed-methods approaches may strengthen the validity of findings, improve the interpretability of results, generate new hypotheses, and support the development of place-based interventions. Nevertheless, integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches may raise several challenges related to epistemological and ontological tensions, different scientific practices, ethical compliance, and the training of research teams. Concluding, the combined use of quantitative and qualitative methods in measuring the external urban exposome within cohort studies offers a powerful approach to understanding the complex interplay between urban environments and health outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":47742,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biosocial Science","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148158609","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}