Journal of Biosocial Science最新文献

{"title":"Beyond the margins: antenatal health and healthcare behaviours among homeless women in Kolkata Municipal Corporation, India.","authors":"Margubur Rahaman, Kailash Chandra Das","doi":"10.1017/S0021932024000324","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0021932024000324","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite high childbearing rates among homeless women in India, the antenatal health and healthcare behaviours among such population remain poorly understood. To address this research gap, a mixed-methods approach was employed in the present study, involving interviews with a sample of 400 women aged 15-49 years, utilising time and location sampling techniques. Additionally, a purposeful sample of 52 women from the same age group participated in in-depth interviews. The respondents exhibited rampant socio-economic backwardness, including chronic homelessness (36%), no formal education (54%), engagement in rag picking (31%), and low income levels. About 56% of the women reported poor self-rated health (SRH), notably higher among those aged 35 and above and those living alone (68%). Poor SRH was also prevalent among the ever married (61%), ragpickers (61%), beggars (62%), chronic homeless individuals (62%), tobacco (60%) and alcohol consumers (61%), and those with chronic diseases (61%). Common health issues included depression or anxiety (56%) and iron deficiency anaemia (35%). The level of unmet healthcare needs was 41%, with significant variation across diseases. Lack of reproductive health rights and awareness, socio-cultural beliefs, stigma, socio-economic poverty, poor quality of public healthcare services, irregularity in charity-run healthcare, and time constraints hindered antenatal care visits. The study underscores the urgent need for population-centric programmes and policies aimed at promoting reproductive health to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3 of 'Good health and wellbeing' by 2030.</p>","PeriodicalId":47742,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biosocial Science","volume":" ","pages":"864-884"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142298702","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 association of solid fuel use in households for cooking with elevated blood pressure among reproductive-aged married women in Bangladesh.","authors":"Nuruzzaman Khan, Syful Islam, Mostaured Ali Khan, Iqbal Kabir, Atika Rahman Chowdhury, Diba Paul, Hazrat Ali","doi":"10.1017/S0021932024000300","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0021932024000300","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bangladesh is experiencing a rapid increase in hypertension prevalence, particularly in socio-economically disadvantaged communities. The higher use of solid fuel in these communities could be one of the significant factors contributing to this trend, but evidence supporting this hypothesis is limited in Bangladesh. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the associations of household solid fuel use and its exposure level with systolic and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and hypertension. We analysed 7,320 women's data from 2017/18 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. We considered three outcome variables: (i) systolic blood pressure (BP) (continuous response), (ii) DBP (continuous response), and (iii) hypertension status (yes, no). Our primary exposures of interest were fuel type (clean vs solid) and the potential level of household air pollution exposure through solid fuel use (unexposed, moderately exposed, and highly exposed). We used a multilevel mixed-effects Poisson regression model with robust variance to determine association between exposure and outcome variables while adjusting for confounders. Of the total respondents analysed, approximately 82% used solid fuel for cooking. The age-standardised prevalence of hypertension was 28%. Respondents using solid fuel were found to be 1.44 times (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-1.89) more likely to develop hypertension compared to clean fuel users. Compared to women using clean fuel, the likelihood of hypertension was found to be 1.61 times (95% CI, 1.07-2.20) higher among the moderately exposed group and 1.80 times (95% CI, 1.27-2.32) higher among the highly exposed group. Similar associations were reported for systolic and DBP. The use of solid fuel increases the risk of becoming hypertensive and elevates systolic and DBP. Policies and programmes are necessary to increase awareness of the adverse effects of solid fuel use on health, including hypertension. Efforts should be made to reduce solid fuel use and ensure proper ventilation systems in households where solid fuel is used.</p>","PeriodicalId":47742,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biosocial Science","volume":" ","pages":"885-895"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142298704","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":"'They will be like a person with a disease': a qualitative investigation of variation in contraceptive side-effect experiences in Central Oromia, Ethiopia.","authors":"Rose Stevens, Eshetu Gurmu, Ametelber Negash, Elizabeth Ewart, Alexandra Alvergne","doi":"10.1017/S0021932024000294","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0021932024000294","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Contraceptive side effects are consistently given as the main reason why women are dissatisfied with contraception or choose not to use it. However, why some women suffer more from side effects remains unknown. Through inductive analysis of in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with 40 contraceptive users and 3 key informants in Central Oromia, Ethiopia, we explored women's rationales for variation in side-effect experiences. The data first reveal the wide diversity in type and severity of side-effect experiences reported by users of contraception. Second, we found that women's rationales for why some individuals suffer more side effects from contraception invoke economic and physical hardship (food insecurity and heavy workloads), as well as interindividual differences in biology (one's blood must 'fit' with contraception). Finally, the analysis revealed the tension many women face in trying to negotiate the trade-off between the consequences of these side effects and those of an unwanted pregnancy. The results show the value of using a biosocial approach, which centres women's voices and experiences, for informing the measurement of contraceptive side effects within population health surveys and clinical trials. Additionally, the findings help gain an understanding of how an individual's social, biological, and cultural contexts drive variation in when and why different side effects manifest.</p>","PeriodicalId":47742,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biosocial Science","volume":" ","pages":"845-863"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142298705","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":"Geographic inequities in neonatal survival in Nigeria: a cross-sectional evidence from spatial and artificial neural network analyses.","authors":"Daniel A Adeyinka, Nazeem Muhajarine","doi":"10.1017/S0021932024000282","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0021932024000282","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study was conducted to provide empirical evidence of geographical variations of neonatal mortality and its associated social determinants with a view to improving neonatal survival at the subnational level in Nigeria. With a combination of spatial analysis and artificial intelligence techniques, this study analysed data from the 2016/2017 Nigeria Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey. The analysis focused on the neonatal period of a weighted national representative population of 30,924 live births delivered five years before the survey commencement. Global Moran's I index and local indicator of spatial autocorrelation cluster maps were used to determine hot and cold spots. A multilayer perceptron neural network was used to identify the key determinants of neonatal mortality across the states and geopolitical zones in Nigeria. The overall neonatal mortality rate was 38 deaths per 1000 live births. There is evidence of geographic clustering of neonatal mortality across Nigeria (worse in the North-Central and North-West zones), majorly driven by poor maternal access to mass media (which plays a critical role in promoting positive health behaviours), short birth interval, a higher position in a family birth order, and young maternal age at child's birth. This study highlights the need for a policy shift towards implementing state and region-specific strategies in Nigeria. Gender-responsive, culturally, and regionally appropriate reproductive, maternal, and child health-targeted interventions may address geographical inequity in neonatal survival.</p>","PeriodicalId":47742,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biosocial Science","volume":" ","pages":"896-919"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142298703","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":"Assisted reproductive technology (ART) is not an independent risk factor for breech presentation among singleton term births in Vienna, Austria.","authors":"L Bartsch, M Hämmerle, S Putschögl, B Hartmann, S Kirchengast","doi":"10.1017/S0021932024000130","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0021932024000130","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) are still discussed critically, as there is no consensus on whether these treatments could be the cause of risk factors for obstetric problems such as breech presentation. The aim of this study was to test the association between ART and breech presentation among 11920 singleton term births taking place in Vienna from 2010 to 2020. In this single-centre medical record-based study, data concerning the conception mode (spontaneous versus IVF or ICSI), child presentation, birth mode, newborn sex and size as well as age, height, weight, and reproductive history of the mother were included. Three hundred twenty-six newborns (2.7%) were conceived by IVF or ICSI, and 527 newborns (4.4%) were delivered in breech presentation. Breech presentation occurred in 7.6% of IVF/ICSI children but only in 4.3% of spontaneously conceived children (<i>P</i> = 0.019). ART increased the crude risk of breech presentation significantly (OR = 1.67; 95% CI 1.71 - 2.38). After adjusting for maternal age, height, number of previous births, smoking, and newborn sex, however, ART had no longer a significant impact on the risk of breech presentation. In contrast, breech presentation was significantly associated with higher maternal age as well as a lower number of previous births, but not with ART. This study shows that the adverse outcomes of IVF and ICSI pregnancies may not be due to the ART treatment alone but might also be due to the mostly higher age and lower parity of the mothers using ART.</p>","PeriodicalId":47742,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biosocial Science","volume":" ","pages":"920-924"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140294961","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 link between household structure and women's household decision-making autonomy in Mauritania.","authors":"Florence Wullo Anfaara, Daniel Amoak, Nancy Osei Kye, Yujiro Sano, Roger Antabe","doi":"10.1017/S0021932024000221","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0021932024000221","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Governments in sub-Saharan African countries aim to increase married women's household decision-making autonomy as it remains a critical determinant of desirable health behaviours such as healthcare utilisation, antenatal care visits, and safer sex negotiation. However, very few studies explore how household structure (i.e., monogamous or polygamous) is associated with married women's household decision-making autonomy. Our paper seeks to address this gap. Using the 2019-20 Mauritania Demographic and Health Survey, a nationally representative dataset, and applying logistic regression analysis, we explore how married women's household structure is associated with their household decision-making autonomy. We find that 9% of married women are in polygamous marriages, while 63% and 65% are involved in decision-making about their health and large household purchases, respectively. Additionally, 76% and 56% are involved in decision-making about visiting family or relatives and household expenditures. After accounting for socio-economic and demographic factors, we find that compared to women from monogamous households, those from polygamous households are less likely to participate in decision-making about their health (OR=0.65, p < 0.001), making large household purchases (OR=0.65, p < 0.001), visiting family or relatives (OR=0.72, p < 0.001), and household expenditure (OR=0.58, p < 0.001). Based on our findings, we recommend the urgent need to review and re-evaluate policies and approaches seeking to promote gender equality and women's autonomy in Mauritania. Specifically, it may be critical for intervention programmes to work around reducing power imbalances in polygamous household structures that continue to impact married women's household decision-making autonomy adversely. Such interventions should centre married women's socio-economic status as a central component of their empowerment strategies in Mauritania.</p>","PeriodicalId":47742,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biosocial Science","volume":" ","pages":"831-844"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141155772","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":"Who is Anaemic in India? Intersections of class, caste, and gender.","authors":"Bikash Das, Mihir Adhikary, Smriti Rekha Singha, Daksha Parmar","doi":"10.1017/S0021932024000245","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0021932024000245","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Anaemia severely impacts physical and mental abilities, raises health risks, and diminishes the quality of life and work capacity. It is a leading cause of adverse pregnancy outcomes and maternal mortality, especially in developing nations like India, where recent data on anaemia from National Family and Health Survey (NFHS-4) (2015-16) and NFHS-5 (2019-21) indicate a tremendous rise. Anaemia is a marker of poor nutrition and health, and socio-economic factors such as gender norms, race, income, and living conditions influence its impact. As a result, there are disparities in how anaemia affects different segments of society. However, existing research on health inequity and anaemia often employs a single-axis analytical framework of social power. These studies operate under the assumption that gender, economic class, ethnicity, and caste are inherently distinct and mutually exclusive categories and fail to provide a comprehensive understanding of anaemia prevalence. Therefore, the study has adopted the theoretical framework of intersectionality and analysed the NFHS-5 (2019-21) data using bivariate cross-tabulations and binary logistic regression models to understand how gender, class, caste, and place of residence are associated with the prevalence of anaemia. The results suggest that the women of Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Scheduled Castes (SC) share a disproportionate burden of anaemia. This study confirms that economic class and gender, geographical location, level of education, and body mass index significantly determine the prevalence of anaemia. The ST and SC women who are economically marginalised and reside in rural areas with high levels of poverty, exclusion, and poor nutritional status have a higher prevalence of anaemia than other population groups. Thus, the study suggests that intersections of multiple factors such as caste, class, gender, and place of residence significantly determine 'who is anaemic in India'.</p>","PeriodicalId":47742,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biosocial Science","volume":" ","pages":"731-753"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141238769","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 practice of polygyny on the utilisation of reproductive health services among married women in Ghana.","authors":"Maxwell Tii Kumbeni, John Ndebugri Alem, Florence Assibi Ziba, Agani Afaya, Paschal Awingura Apanga","doi":"10.1017/S0021932023000299","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0021932023000299","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>While the practice of polygyny is common in Ghana, little is known about its impact on the use of reproductive health services. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between polygynous marriage and the utilisation of skilled antenatal care (ANC), assisted skilled birth, and modern contraceptive services among married women in Ghana. Secondary data from the 2017 Ghana Maternal Health Survey were used for this study. The study included a weighted sample of 9,098 married women aged 15-49 years. We used multivariable logistic regression models to assess the association between polygyny and each outcome variables. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the dose-response relationship between polygyny and each outcome variable. The prevalence of eight or more ANC contacts, assisted skilled births, and use of modern contraception were 47.0%, 81.4%, and 25.4%, respectively. The prevalence of women in polygynous marriages was 15.3%. Compared to monogynous marriage, polygynous marriage was associated with 19% lower odds of having eight plus ANC contacts (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.81, 95% CI: 0.69, 0.96), 25% lower odds of having assisted skilled birth (aOR 0.75, 95% CI: 0.63, 0.89), and 19% lower odds of modern contraceptive utilisation (aOR 0.81, 95% CI: 0.66, 0.99). Interventions on reproductive health may need to prioritise women in polygynous marriages in order to improve the utilisation of skilled ANC, assisted skilled birth, and modern contraceptive services.</p>","PeriodicalId":47742,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biosocial Science","volume":" ","pages":"784-795"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139088978","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":"Ethnic affiliation and protective sexual behaviours among youth in Nigeria.","authors":"Oluwaseyi Dolapo Somefun, Funke Fayehun","doi":"10.1017/S0021932024000257","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0021932024000257","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Investing in the sexual and reproductive health of young adults can directly and indirectly contribute to accelerated economic growth. Looking beyond individual determinants of sexual behaviours and focusing on cultural factors such as ethnic affiliation are crucial for interventions and programme planning, particularly in a context like Nigeria. Using a concurrent triangulation mixed-methods design, this article explores the associations between ethnic affiliations and protective sexual behaviours of young adults in Nigeria. The quantitative data was derived from a representative sample of 1,393 male and female youth aged 16-24 years in three states purposively selected from three regions in Nigeria, while qualitative data was based on 18 focus groups and 36 in-depth interviews. The quantitative data was analysed using frequency distributions and regressions, while content analysis was employed to analyse qualitative data. Descriptive results showed that abstinence was higher for Hausa (80%) young adults compared with Yoruba (72%) and Igbo (68%) young adults. Condom use was lowest for Hausa (56%) young adults compared with Igbo (80%) and Yoruba (81%) young adults. The effect of education on abstinence differed by ethnicity and living with two parents was associated with a higher likelihood of abstinence among youth in all ethnic groups. Fear of early fatherhood and unplanned pregnancy was a prominent reason for protective sexual behaviour among Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa young adults. The findings from this study show that young adults who engage in protective sexual behaviours may identify different rationales for this behaviour based on their ethnic background. Programme planners interested in promoting and encouraging protective sexual behaviours should recognize these multiple reasons across different ethnic affiliations to scale up and sustain existing interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":47742,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biosocial Science","volume":"56 4","pages":"767-783"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142337003","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":"Socioeconomic gradient in functional difficulties by domain among youth: evidence from Egypt.","authors":"Soha Metwally","doi":"10.1017/S0021932024000191","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0021932024000191","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study aims to measure inequalities in the distribution of functional difficulties and their different domains among youth aged 15-29 years in Egypt, according to selected socioeconomic characteristics (e.g. wealth quantiles and education level of the head of the household). The data come from the nationally representative survey, 'Household Observatory Survey', with 10,405 persons aged 15-29 years representing the study sample population. The survey identifies individuals with disabilities using the Washington Group Short questions. Inequalities in disability distribution have been measured by the concentration index (CI). The results indicate that functional difficulties have been concentrated among the poorest youth and households headed by illiterate persons. Rural areas have the highest concentration of disabilities among youth, with the lowest wealth and the lowest educational level of the head of the household. The CI suggests the existence of socioeconomic inequalities in all functional difficulties except for seeing difficulties. Understanding which factors more substantially contribute to inequalities is critical for advancing policies devoted to enhancing the quality of life for individuals with disabilities.</p>","PeriodicalId":47742,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biosocial Science","volume":" ","pages":"715-730"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140873039","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}