Rahul Suresh Sapkal, Daksha C Parmar, Areesha Khan
{"title":"Womens Autonomy, Violence, and Maternal Health Care Utilization: Empirical Evidence From India.","authors":"Rahul Suresh Sapkal, Daksha C Parmar, Areesha Khan","doi":"10.1177/27551938251409941","DOIUrl":"10.1177/27551938251409941","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Equitable access to maternal health care services and reproductive rights ensures women's control over preferences and choices in helping to build their capacities to make decisions effectively. This study aims to explore the empirical relationship between intimate partner violence on maternal health care utilization among married women of reproductive age by analysing the moderating role of women's autonomy in India. We used NFHS-5 (2019-2021) with a sample size of currently married women, 51,392, from rural and urban areas. We first assessed the prevalence of maternal health care utilization by the Pearson's chi-square statistics between dependent and independent variables. Secondly, we estimated adjusted logistic regression models to examine the association between women's autonomy, intimate partner violence, and recommended ante-natal care (ANC) visits during pregnancy in India. This study finds that maternal health care utilization as measured by (<i>a</i>) recommended ANC visits and (<i>b</i>) institutional delivery is positively and statistically correlated with higher social groups (ie, general caste and other backward classes [OBC] in case of ANC visit and general caste for institutional delivery), residing in urban areas, hailing from a wealthy household, having fewer than two children, and both spouses were educated. All findings were reported for 95% CI and <i>p</i>-values.</p>","PeriodicalId":73479,"journal":{"name":"International journal of social determinants of health and health services","volume":" ","pages":"227-244"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145812238","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ronald Anguzu, Juliet Kiguli, Agnes Nyabigambo, Emmanuel Obuya, Saul Kabali, John Bosco Isunju, Kirsten M M Beyer, Julia Dickson-Gomez
{"title":"Gender-Based Violence Typology Associated with Depression, and Anxiety in Informal Settlements in Uganda.","authors":"Ronald Anguzu, Juliet Kiguli, Agnes Nyabigambo, Emmanuel Obuya, Saul Kabali, John Bosco Isunju, Kirsten M M Beyer, Julia Dickson-Gomez","doi":"10.1177/27551938251396923","DOIUrl":"10.1177/27551938251396923","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Gender-based violence (GBV) affects one-third of women globally and 22% in Uganda. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, GBV has increased among women in informal settlements, exacerbating poverty, vulnerability, and mental health. This study examined associations between GBV forms and depression and anxiety among women in Kampala's informal settlements. We conducted a cross-sectional, baseline survey of the SafeBangle intervention which included a sample size of 644 adolescent girls and women living in Kampala's informal settlements. Our outcomes - depression and anxiety were measured using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 screening tools. Modified Poisson regression analyzed associations between GBV forms (sexual, emotional, physical) and depression and anxiety, adjusting for perpetrator type (public or family/relatives). Among 644 participants [mean (SD) age: 27.9 ± 12.8 years], 37.0% had depression and 30.1% had anxiety. Physical GBV perpetrated in public was most prevalent (85.9%). Emotional and physical GBV in public were significantly associated with depression (adj.PRR = 1.5, 95%CI 1.2-1.9; adj.PRR = 1.6, 95%CI 1.3-1.9) and anxiety (adj.PRR = 1.7, 95%CI 1.2-2.4; adj.PRR = 1.9, 95%CI 1.5-2.5). Physical GBV perpetrated by family/relatives had higher risks of depression (adj.PRR = 1.3, 95%CI 1.1-1.7) and anxiety (adj.PRR = 1.4, 95%CI 1.1-1.9). Findings underscore the need for family- and community-based interventions and policies prioritizing mental health and GBV prevention in low-resource settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":73479,"journal":{"name":"International journal of social determinants of health and health services","volume":" ","pages":"245-255"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145656352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sally Schultz, Anne Barrow, Sharon Friel, Christina Zorbas, Anna Peeters, Kathryn Backholer
{"title":"Addressing Power in Local-Level Policies and Programs to Reduce Health Inequities - A Systematic Review.","authors":"Sally Schultz, Anne Barrow, Sharon Friel, Christina Zorbas, Anna Peeters, Kathryn Backholer","doi":"10.1177/27551938251401131","DOIUrl":"10.1177/27551938251401131","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Health inequities are driven by the unequal distribution of resources and power. Local-level actors are closely connected to communities and have the potential to address unfair imbalances in power through health equity interventions. Yet practical strategies on how to do this remain unclear. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic review of five databases, examining how power was addressed in the design and implementation of local-level health equity interventions and their reported impacts. Thirty-eight international studies were analysed using the Health Equity Power Framework and Four Expressions of Power typology. Most articles described community organizing, health education, advocacy, and community funding initiatives. Interventions that strengthened community knowledge, connectedness, and leadership rebalanced power by enhancing individual and collective agency. Shifts in rigid, inequitable structures and institutional processes were observed when interventions activated multiple types of power, across different forms and spaces. Interventions informed by power-centered frameworks and principles, such as empowerment theory and self-determination, helped actors rebalance power dynamics, while entrenched structural and institutional power imbalances moderated efforts to rebalance power. This review underscores the role of local governments, institutions, and community actors in addressing power imbalances and provides practical guidance on strategies to support equitable policymaking.</p>","PeriodicalId":73479,"journal":{"name":"International journal of social determinants of health and health services","volume":" ","pages":"189-202"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12987999/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145656286","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 Inequalities in Crisis Times: Questions for Global Health Governance.","authors":"Paul Crawshaw, Joanne Gray","doi":"10.1177/27551938251381110","DOIUrl":"10.1177/27551938251381110","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Health inequalities continue to blight populations creating a global social justice challenge. Despite continued action by policy makers and practitioners, they are recurrent and stubborn, with evidence of exacerbation in many territories. Driven by extractive, capitalist economic and political logics that have organised societies with systemic power imbalances, inequalities are so entrenched they appear ahistorical. Recent global crisis of disease, finance and conflict have intensified challenges, with outcomes worst for those with the least power and resources. Impacts are compounded where inequalities are structural and systemic, for example the result of institutionalised racism, unevenly distributed wealth and employment opportunities, lack of availability of suitable housing and food or limited access to education. Understanding health inequalities as dynamic, the outcome of complex ecologies and interactions as well as their historical antecedents and determinants is vital for public health research and practice. The differential impact of COVID-19 on populations has illuminated this, leading researchers to reframe the pandemic as syndemic. Such analysis is imperative both for immediate crisis response and future health protection planning and strategy. Our discussion highlights how historic and systemic inequalities shape contemporary population health, constructing stubborn barriers to social justice, an effect heightened during times of crisis like the COVID-19 syndemic. What is to be done to ameliorate their impact on the most vulnerable remains a vital question.</p>","PeriodicalId":73479,"journal":{"name":"International journal of social determinants of health and health services","volume":" ","pages":"150-160"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12987996/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145304933","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":"Understanding the Inequalities in Child Health Status: State-Level Insights for Policy Intervention in India.","authors":"Bishweshwar Bhattacharjee, Bireshwar Bhattacharjee, Dibyojyoti Bhattacharjee, Santanu Choudhury","doi":"10.1177/27551938251385864","DOIUrl":"10.1177/27551938251385864","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The U.N. Sustainable Development Goals highlighted the importance of good health and healthy well-being (SDG 3). Child health is very important for achieving SDG 3; maintaining proper child health is essential for a developing country like India. Against this backdrop, assessing child health across various states is crucial. Thus, the study developed the composite child health index (CHI) using a novel technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS)-based, factor analytic multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach. The index was developed using secondary data compiled from the National Family Health Survey from 2015 to 2020 using 35 child health indicators. Hierarchical and K-means were applied to categorize the various states and union territories based on their CHI values. This analysis reveals significant differences in child health outcomes across Indian states, with two states achieving higher levels and 25 states facing lower levels of child health. Among the states, Nagaland tops the list (CHI = 0.57441), indicating better child health conditions, followed by Odisha (CHI = 0.54384). The states with the lowest scores, Andhra Pradesh (CHI = 0.08406) and Manipur (CHI = 0.1065), have more significant challenges in child health. Thus, there is a need for targeted interventions in the most affected areas.</p>","PeriodicalId":73479,"journal":{"name":"International journal of social determinants of health and health services","volume":" ","pages":"275-289"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145379998","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot, Jeroen M van Baar, Seth J Prins
{"title":"Straining Under Contradiction? Contradictory Class Locations and Job Strain in the United States.","authors":"Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot, Jeroen M van Baar, Seth J Prins","doi":"10.1177/27551938251408239","DOIUrl":"10.1177/27551938251408239","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Research suggests lower-level supervisors may suffer greater burdens of mental illness and substance use than workers and upper management, a pattern that may arise from their contradictory class location. For example, lower-level supervisors may be compelled to discipline subordinates and enforce policies over which they have little say, and contend with antagonism from workers, exposing them to stressors like job strain. However, to our knowledge, no U.S. studies have investigated whether job strain is elevated among lower-level supervisors. We addressed this gap using 2002-2022 General Social Survey data (<i>n</i> = 9261). We classified respondents as workers, lower-level supervisors, higher-level supervisors, top executives, petit bourgeoisie, or capitalists using self-employment and supervisory-authority items, and created a continuous job-strain score using five job-control and six job-demands items. Age- and gender-adjusted Poisson models suggested job strain decreased approximately linearly across classes, as mean scores were 6% (95% CI: 3%-8%) lower among lower-level supervisors and 23% (95% CI: 19%-27%) lower among capitalists than among workers. Patterns were similar for job control alone. However, lower-level supervisors did report elevated job demands, including 14% (95% CI: 10%-17%) greater mean scores than workers. Patterns persisted after thorough confounder adjustment. Our findings suggest job strain may not explain lower-level supervisors' burdens of mental illness and substance use.</p>","PeriodicalId":73479,"journal":{"name":"International journal of social determinants of health and health services","volume":" ","pages":"217-226"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12838434/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145783827","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":"The Invisible Hand, the Visible Wound, and the Commercial Determinants of Health: Complicity of Commercial Entities and the Palestine Catastrophe.","authors":"M Mofizul Islam","doi":"10.1177/27551938261417277","DOIUrl":"10.1177/27551938261417277","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>People often describe the ongoing catastrophic situation in Palestine, particularly in the Gaza Strip, as a political and humanitarian crisis. However, a recent report (A/HRC/59/23) by United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese highlights the necessity of understanding the complex commercial practices of corporations that contribute-directly or indirectly-to this catastrophe. The report reveals a critical yet often overlooked aspect of public health ethics: corporate complicity in unprecedented human suffering. This article demonstrates how commercial entities contribute to public health harms, with Palestine serving as a significant and urgent case study. Using the commercial determinants of health framework, this article argues that corporate practices-such as supplying goods and services, maintaining operations or financing actors implicated in international crimes to actors implicated in international crimes through military operations in occupied territories-can constitute complicity in serious human rights violations. These actions typically occur within legal and ethical grey areas, exacerbated by gaps in global governance, opaque corporate structures, and weak accountability mechanisms. The article advocates identifying and including complicity as a fundamental practice used by commercial entities primarily for profit. It also emphasises the need to expand research, advocacy, and regulatory oversight to address the intersection of corporate power, armed conflict, and population health.</p>","PeriodicalId":73479,"journal":{"name":"International journal of social determinants of health and health services","volume":" ","pages":"173-179"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12987998/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146088316","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":"Brewing Inequality: A Sociological Investigation of the Health Challenges of Women tea Workers in Assam.","authors":"Vaishali Saikia, Pradeep Kumar Parida","doi":"10.1177/27551938251366878","DOIUrl":"10.1177/27551938251366878","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite being one of the largest organized industries in India, the tea plantation sector faces a significant crisis, especially in Assam. The workers, especially women, are some of the most underpaid, exacerbating their marginalization. Through an extensive review of existing literature, this study aims to explore the social disparities experienced by female tea workers, contributing to their health disparities. The article illuminates the urgent need for comprehensive policies aimed at improving their well-being. It explores why, despite assurances of adequate health care under the Tea Plantation Act of 1951, there continues to be a rise in reported diseases among female laborers in Assam's tea gardens. This investigation will not only focus on their health but will also explore various aspects of their lives to fully understand the factors impacting their overall health. The primary objective of the study is to illustrate how labor-particularly \"female labor\"-in the tea industry is coerced by management to produce surplus value at the expense of their sanitation, hygiene, and health.</p>","PeriodicalId":73479,"journal":{"name":"International journal of social determinants of health and health services","volume":" ","pages":"256-261"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145016752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Paula Fortes-Muñoz, Albert Espelt, Marina Bosque-Prous, Cinta Folch, Marina Robles-Muñoz, Gemma Drou-Roget, Ester Teixidó-Compañó, Mariona Pons-Vigués, Joan Llosada-Gistau, Carles Muntaner
{"title":"Policy Pressures and Inequality: The Challenges Facing Adolescent Health in Times of Crisis.","authors":"Paula Fortes-Muñoz, Albert Espelt, Marina Bosque-Prous, Cinta Folch, Marina Robles-Muñoz, Gemma Drou-Roget, Ester Teixidó-Compañó, Mariona Pons-Vigués, Joan Llosada-Gistau, Carles Muntaner","doi":"10.1177/27551938251390147","DOIUrl":"10.1177/27551938251390147","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Austerity measures following the 2007 financial crisis, along with the economic and social challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, have profoundly affected the living conditions of adolescents and their families, influencing their experiences and opportunities. This study aimed to examine socioeconomic position (SEP) inequalities across various health-related conditions among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years in central Catalonia. This cross-sectional study utilized data from a cohort of high school students during the 2021-2022 academic year, comprising a sample of 9.265 students (50.8% girls). The prevalence of each health-related condition was estimated by sex and educational level. To assess the association between the dependent variables and SEP, a bivariate analysis was conducted, followed by both crude and adjusted Poisson regression models with robust variance. Adolescents from deprived SEPs had the highest prevalences of almost all health-related conditions. Moreover, these inequalities were affected by gender, with girls being more affected. Girls in post-compulsory education with deprived SEPs had 1.45 (95% CI: 1.32-1.59) more health conditions than those from advantaged SEPs. Our results underscore the importance of addressing systemic factors like income inequality, limited educational support, and lack of leisure time. Focusing policies solely on adolescent responsibility risks perpetuating existing disadvantages.</p>","PeriodicalId":73479,"journal":{"name":"International journal of social determinants of health and health services","volume":" ","pages":"262-274"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145524714","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"First they Came for our AHRQ Articles, then they Came for AHRQ: Scientific Suppression and Struggle in the United States.","authors":"Gordon D Schiff, Celeste Royce","doi":"10.1177/27551938251389394","DOIUrl":"10.1177/27551938251389394","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The authors of this commentary published two peer-reviewed online articles in 2020 and 2022 on the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) PSNet that were removed by the Trump administration because they violated White House policy on websites that \"inculcate or promote gender ideology.\" Ours were among thousands of articles and websites that had been removed or censored during the first month of the Trump administration. We describe the details of this censorship of our two articles one on suicide prevention, the other on endometriosis diagnosis challenges, neither of which was directly related to LGBT issues but used what are now banned terms. We further discuss the historical and political context of this removal, and the subsequent merger of AHRQ into a new Trump administration \"Office of Strategy\" that purports to target \"the effectiveness of federal health programs\" for improvement. In light of these censorship actions, large scale staff layoffs, and this reorganization, the fate of AHRQ's mission, current activities, and future project funding is currently uncertain. We offer strategic suggestions for resisting such attacks on academic freedom and restoring scientific integrity for patient safety, quality, and public health.</p>","PeriodicalId":73479,"journal":{"name":"International journal of social determinants of health and health services","volume":" ","pages":"180-188"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146020521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}