PLOS global public health最新文献

{"title":"Intersectional disparities in mental healthcare utilization by sex and race/ethnicity among US adults: An NHANES study.","authors":"Lotenna Olisaeloka, Esteban J Valencia, Gentille Musengimana, Daniel Vigo, Ehsan Karim","doi":"10.1371/journal.pgph.0004682","DOIUrl":"10.1371/journal.pgph.0004682","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mental healthcare utilization in the US remains low, with persistent disparities observed across population groups. However, little is known about how sex and race/ethnicity jointly shape access to care. Intersectionality theory highlights the need to examine these dimensions together, as their combined influence may produce unique disadvantages not captured in single-axis analyses. This study utilized data from the 2009-2018 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The relative differences (prevalence ratios) of mental healthcare utilization across intersecting sex and racial/ethnic groups were estimated using design-based log-binomial models. The absolute measure (prevalence differences) across these intersectional groups were obtained using linear probability regression models. Stratified analyses were conducted to examine how socioeconomic and need-related factors modified disparities. Overall, 9.1% of adults reported accessing mental health services in the preceding year. Marked disparities were observed across the intersectional groups. Hispanic males had the lowest utilization rates compared to Non-Hispanic (NH) White males, with an adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) of 0.59 [95% CI: 0.47-0.73]. Among females, all minority racial/ethnic groups reported lower utilization compared with NH White females with aPRs ranging from 0.73 to 0.81. Within racial/ethnic groups, women generally accessed care more than men, though the magnitude of sex differences varied. Stratified analyses showed that disparities were magnified among those without insurance and attenuated at higher income levels. These results show that sex and race/ethnicity jointly shape patterns of mental healthcare utilization in the United States, producing compounded disadvantages for specific groups such as Hispanic men. Stratified analyses suggest that socio-economic status may modify these disparities, pointing to the role played by systemic inequities. These findings underscore the importance of intersectional approaches in population mental health research and policy. Future research should consider additional intersecting identities including sexual orientation and disability.</p>","PeriodicalId":74466,"journal":{"name":"PLOS global public health","volume":"5 10","pages":"e0004682"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12517490/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145287833","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":"Subcutaneous injections of penicillin (SCIP): Convenient and effective treatment for Māori, Pacific Peoples and their families in preventing rheumatic heart disease.","authors":"Julie Cooper, Monleigh Muliaumasealii, Dhevindri Moodley, Jacqui Ulugia, Anneka Anderson, Julie Bennett","doi":"10.1371/journal.pgph.0004895","DOIUrl":"10.1371/journal.pgph.0004895","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remain significant health issues for Māori and Pacific communities in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ). Subcutaneous injection of penicillin (SCIP) enables injections to be given 10-weekly as an alternative to the standard four-weekly intramuscular (IM) injections. As part of a clinical trial involving participants with ARF who have been on SCIP for at least one year, we aim to explore treatment adherence, pain management, and quality of life for Māori and Pacific participants and their families (whānau). A community centred approach aligned with Kaupapa Māori, and Pacific-centred research values was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 families, including nine participants on SCIP. Data collection occurred between March and August 2024. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes from participants' experiences. Six themes emerged: Reduced burden of treatment; emotional impact from reduced injection frequency; family-centered care by healthcare providers; relationship building (whakawhanaungatanga); health literacy; and pain management. Participants valued SCIP's 10-week dosing interval, which contributed to improvements in quality of life. The extended dosing interval also alleviated emotional barriers, including the stress associated with more frequent injections. Participants valued that nurses offered them the choice of which location to receive their injections, at home, in a clinic, at work, or at school. Strong relationships with healthcare providers, especially research nurses, were essential for adherence. This study highlights that the extended dosing interval provided by SCIP reduced the physical and emotional burdens participants experienced with their monthly IM BPG injections, thereby enhancing quality of life. The findings emphasise the importance of culturally responsive, family-centered models of care. SCIP offers an opportunity to improve adherence to secondary prophylaxis and if implemented as a standard treatment option, improve health outcomes both in NZ and internationally.</p>","PeriodicalId":74466,"journal":{"name":"PLOS global public health","volume":"5 10","pages":"e0004895"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12513592/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145276905","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":"Management support for patient safety in two tertiary hospitals in Jamaica: A mixed methods study.","authors":"Camelia Thompson, Desmalee Holder Nevins, Dawn Walters, Cameal Chin-Bailey, Elon Thompson, Minerva Thame, Kenneth James","doi":"10.1371/journal.pgph.0005332","DOIUrl":"10.1371/journal.pgph.0005332","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Management support is important for implementation of policies and procedures, and to create an organizational culture for the delivery of safe patient care. This study sought to determine the culture for management and safety support at two tertiary hospitals in Jamaica, and to explore managers' involvement in quality and quality improvement activities. A mixed methods study was done among 328 doctors and nurses (quantitative arm) and 17 senior managers (qualitative arm) from two tertiary hospitals. Data on sociodemographic, work-related characteristics and management support for patient safety were collected and in-depth interviews collected explored managers' involvement in quality and quality improvement activities. The percentage positive score was determined for management support for patient safety and a logistic regression model identified independent predictors of positive scores. Thematic analysis identified themes and subthemes. Overall positive percent score for management support for patient safety was 51.57%. Independent predictors of positive scores were staff position, institution and primary area of work. Doctors were 72.4% less likely than nurses to have positive scores (OR=0.28, 95% CI: 0.14-0.55, p=<0.001). Participants from Institution B were 2.63 times as likely to have positive score compared to participants from Institution A (OR = 2.63, 95% CI: 1.40 - 4.96, p = 0.003). Compared to participants whose primary area of work was medicine, participants from accident and emergency and radiology/laboratory units were 3.15 (95% CI: 1.19-8.35, p = 0.021) and 5.18 (95% CI: 1.82-14.76, p = 0.002) times more likely to have positive scores respectively. Two themes (managers' role in quality assurance/improvement and challenges in quality assurance and improvement) and six subthemes emerged from in-depth interviews. Institutions should ensure that there is a clear strategy for quality and quality improvement and implement appropriate systems and structures to support quality-related activities. Boards of hospitals should make quality a key item for discussion and action, to ensure good patient outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":74466,"journal":{"name":"PLOS global public health","volume":"5 10","pages":"e0005332"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12513631/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145276967","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":"Impact of COVID-19 on unmet needs for healthcare in Peru: an interrupted time series analysis.","authors":"Rodrigo Vargas-Fernández, Akram Hernández-Vásquez, Shanquan Chen, Francisco Diez-Canseco, Pamela Smith, Xanthe Hunt, Lena Morgon Banks","doi":"10.1371/journal.pgph.0005036","DOIUrl":"10.1371/journal.pgph.0005036","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The COVID-19 pandemic affected people's health and access to healthcare worldwide. Still, little is known about how distinct phases of the pandemic - namely the lockdown period and the period directly after lockdown - impacted these outcomes, and whether there were differences in these impacts among different segments of the Peruvian population. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of different phases of the COVID-19 response on unmet needs for healthcare across Peru. Using an interrupted time series design, this study analyzed quarterly data from Peru's National Household Survey on Living Conditions and Poverty (ENAHO) from 2018 to 2022. Outcome variables included people reporting having a health problem in the last 4 weeks and, among those reporting a problem, whether they had needed and sought care. These outcomes were stratified by demographic characteristics (i.e., by age group, gender, disability, indigenous status, regions, and rural/urban). Step and trend changes in outcomes during and directly after lockdown periods were compared to the pre-pandemic period. Overall, the prevalence of health problems decreased by 18.4 percentage points (pp) during the lockdown period compared to pre-pandemic levels, although unmet healthcare needs increased by 16.7 pp. Once lockdowns were removed, prevalence of health problems and access to healthcare increased slightly, but remained below pre-pandemic levels. Certain groups, namely people with disabilities, indigenous people and people in rural areas, had persistently worse health and poorer access to care. Persistent disparities in unmet healthcare needs highlight the necessity of targeted interventions to address systemic barriers faced by vulnerable populations and ensure continuity of care during health crises.</p>","PeriodicalId":74466,"journal":{"name":"PLOS global public health","volume":"5 10","pages":"e0005036"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12513646/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145276928","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":"Comparative assessment of nutritional status in unoperated children with Congenital Heart Defects: Insights from a tertiary pediatric cardiac center in India.","authors":"Radha Joshi, Manasi Bhoite, Poonam Mandhare, Shaoni Nath, Sudhir Kapoor, Rishikesh Wadke, Ragini Pandey","doi":"10.1371/journal.pgph.0005260","DOIUrl":"10.1371/journal.pgph.0005260","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) are structural cardiac malformations ranging from mild to severe forms; greatly impacting childhood mortality and morbidity. Malnutrition as comorbidity in CHD raises treatment complexity, lengthens post-operative recovery period and increases risk of developmental delays. This retrospective study evaluates patterns of malnutrition in 1678 unoperated CHD cases at out-patient department of tertiary pediatric cardiac centre in India compared to 11,894 community based controls. Z-Scores based on WHO reference charts were used for Weight for Age, Height for Age and Weight for Height calculations. Majority of CHD patients belonged to poor socioeconomic background [upper lower = 49.17% and lower middle = 42.99%]. 62.46% cases were underweight, 41.3% stunted and 53.93% wasted compared to controls showing 28.88% underweight (Z = 27.38, p < 0.01), 31.15% stunting (Z = 8.32, p < 0.01) and 14.04% wasting (Z = 39.01, p < 0.01), indicating highly significant undernutrition in cases compared to controls in same age group (0-6 years). Odds ratio analysis showed that CHD cases were 7.19 times more likely to undergo wasting, 4.19 times at higher risk of being underweight and were at 1.63 times increased risk of stunting than controls (p < 0.01). Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) significantly exacerbated undernutrition in terms of wasting and underweight status in CHD (p < 0.01). Lower birth weight was found associated with undernutrition in CHD (p < 0.05). This first large-scale study from India comparing CHD patients with community controls provides comprehensive analysis of nutritional status in unoperated CHD cases indicating significantly higher undernutrition in CHD patients compared to non-CHD controls from same age group. This highlights the need for comprehensive health screening in initial years of life which is crucial for early detection, timely CHD treatment and individualized nutritional management in pediatric cardiac care.</p>","PeriodicalId":74466,"journal":{"name":"PLOS global public health","volume":"5 10","pages":"e0005260"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12513622/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145276859","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":"Exploring barriers to accessing healthy diets among pregnant women living with HIV in the Njombe region, Tanzania: A qualitative study.","authors":"Julieth Shine, Vera Kwara, Deborah Esau, Fatma Abdallah, Anna Zangira, Aika Lekey, Abela Twinomujuni, Maria Ngilisho, Zahara Amiri, Elizabeth Lyimo, Winfrida Akyoo, Germana H Leyna, Ray M Masumo","doi":"10.1371/journal.pgph.0004438","DOIUrl":"10.1371/journal.pgph.0004438","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Proper nutrition is essential for women with HIV during pregnancy; however, information on how to access nutritious diets is scarce. This study, informed by the socio-ecological perspectives, examines the barriers to obtaining a healthy diet among pregnant women living with HIV in the Njombe region of Tanzania. A qualitative study employing the ethnography method using semi-structured and narrative interviews to gather information from key informant interviews, indepth interviews and focus group discussions engaged a diverse range of stakeholders. The analysis was done by MAXQDA software employing qualitative content analysis. Further, the thematic analysis was carried out by assigning data into relevant codes to generate categories based on study objectives. The study found inadequate nutritional knowledge among individuals and some healthcare providers in the Njombe region. Poor emotional and physical support from spouses and family members caused pregnant women living with HIV to shoulder an excessive household workload, leading to exhaustion and stress, which hindered their ability to practice healthy dietary behaviors. The level of alcohol consumption was high, posing a risk to their health and well-being. The study identified significant barriers at the individual, community, environmental, and organizational levels that prevent pregnant women living with HIV in the Njombe region of Tanzania from accessing healthy diets. Elevating nutritional awareness within these communities is essential for improving the knowledge, skills, and motivation of pregnant women, their partners, and the wider community to embrace healthy and nutritious dietary practices. While various obstacles to healthy diets may exist, motivation and intentionality in pursuing those dietary choices are equally important. Even in the face of challenges, individuals with a strong understanding of nutrition are more likely to discover alternative strategies to maintain healthy diets.</p>","PeriodicalId":74466,"journal":{"name":"PLOS global public health","volume":"5 10","pages":"e0004438"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12513609/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145276887","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":"Perceptions of COVID-19-related nudges in the Arab world: A cross-country analysis of approval rates and associated factors.","authors":"Fadi Makki, Belal Nedal Sabbah, Hani Tamim, Mariam Abdelnabi, Paola Schietekat, Nabil Saleh, Ali Osseiran, Abdulkarim Almakadma, Mohamed Al-Komi, Ebaa Alsayed, Rajaa Fakhoury, Fatima Saleh, Basema Saddik, Hana M A Fakhoury, Sarah Daher, Cass R Sunstein","doi":"10.1371/journal.pgph.0004692","DOIUrl":"10.1371/journal.pgph.0004692","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated novel approaches to influence public behavior. While \"nudging\" has gained prominence in Western contexts, its perception and effectiveness in the Arab world remain understudied. This study aimed to investigate the approval of COVID-19-related nudges across four Arab countries and explore associated sociodemographic factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2020 to January 2022, involving 698 participants from Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Participants were presented with eight hypothetical COVID-19-related nudges categorized according to distinct behavioral mechanisms: choice architecture (e.g., floor markers, prominent placement of fruits and vegetables), information disclosure (publicly sharing infection causes), moral appeals (letters from elderly urging compliance), social norm enforcement (public shaming of violators and use of spoilers on billboards), and surveillance-based interventions (GPS tracking of quarantined individuals). Approval rates varied widely (50%-95%). Less intrusive nudges received the highest support: supermarket floor markers (95.4%), prominent display of fruits and vegetables (88.8%), park area divisions (82.0%), infection cause disclosure (86.5%), and elderly letters urging compliance (84.1%). Approval was lower for more intrusive measures, including billboard spoilers (52.0%) and public shaming of curfew violators (49.9%). GPS tracking, the most intrusive intervention, received intermediate approval (72.8%). Higher COVID-19 concern was significantly associated with greater approval of nudges (p < 0.001), with age, gender, and family COVID-19 status also influencing approval rates. These findings demonstrate generally positive attitudes towards COVID-19-related nudges among university affiliates in four Arab countries, with clear variations according to nudge type, intrusiveness, and sociodemographic characteristics. While the results offer valuable insights for culturally tailored behavioral interventions in the Arab world, they reflect a university setting and may not be generalizable to the broader public.</p>","PeriodicalId":74466,"journal":{"name":"PLOS global public health","volume":"5 10","pages":"e0004692"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12513628/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145276994","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":"People with lived experience of chronic conditions are key epistemic authorities in global health.","authors":"Lavanya Vijayasingham, Mansi Chopra, Edith Mukantwari, Benny Prawira, Eman Shannan, Joab Wako, Maria Divina O'Brien, Mark Barone","doi":"10.1371/journal.pgph.0005317","DOIUrl":"10.1371/journal.pgph.0005317","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":74466,"journal":{"name":"PLOS global public health","volume":"5 10","pages":"e0005317"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12513594/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145276972","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":"Assessing the availability and scope of routine data on post-pregnancy family planning: A cross-sectional review of registers and reporting tools in 18 low- and middle-income countries.","authors":"Deborah Sitrin, Aurélie Brunie, Rebecca Rosenberg, Lucy Wilson, Elena Lebetkin, Rogers Kagimu, Fredrick Makumbi","doi":"10.1371/journal.pgph.0005205","DOIUrl":"10.1371/journal.pgph.0005205","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) include postpartum and postabortion family planning (PPFP/PAFP) in their national family planning (FP) commitments. Understanding what PPFP and PAFP data are available in routine health information systems (HIS) is important, as both county-level and global monitoring increasingly rely on these systems to track service delivery and scale-up, inform program improvements, and support accountability. This paper reviews the availability of PPFP and PAFP data elements in HIS across 18 LMICs. We analyzed 85 facility registers and 31 monthly summary forms covering antenatal care (ANC), labor and delivery (L&D), postnatal care (PNC), FP, and postabortion care (PAC). All 18 countries record PPFP provision in registers and summary forms; 14 also capture PAFP provision in registers, with 10 reporting it in summary forms. Most (15/18) collect immediate PPFP (≤48 hours after childbirth), in alignment with recommendations from the PPFP Community of Practice and High Impact Practices partnership, though 6 need to add this to their summary forms to improve data accessibility. Fourteen countries collect PPFP at multiple time points (e.g., ≤ 48 hours and ≤6 weeks). While all collect client age in registers, only one disaggregates PPFP and two disaggregate PAFP by age in summary forms. There is variation in the contraceptive methods recorded and compiled. Documentation of FP counseling is less consistent: 8 countries record it during ANC (2 in summary forms), 7 before discharge after childbirth (2 in summary forms), and 10 during PNC (2 in summary forms). Differences in timing, disaggregation, and method detail affect cross-country comparability, though several countries collect sufficiently aligned data for meaningful analysis. Country efforts to track PPFP across multiple contact points suggest a commitment to broad integration, which should be matched by expanded global indicator guidance that reflects the full scope of service delivery across the continuum of care.</p>","PeriodicalId":74466,"journal":{"name":"PLOS global public health","volume":"5 10","pages":"e0005205"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12510596/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145260042","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":"\"Vulnerable and strong at the same time\": Forcibly displaced young women's lived experiences of their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) as unaccompanied girls seeking asylum in Sweden.","authors":"My Opperdoes, Lisen Dellenborg, Gunilla Backman, Henry Ascher, Josephine T V Greenbrook","doi":"10.1371/journal.pgph.0005241","DOIUrl":"10.1371/journal.pgph.0005241","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Unaccompanied girls undergoing forced migration are exposed to multiple risk factors affecting their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Yet, little is known of their perceived SRHR needs. Thus, the aim of this study was to illuminate the lived experiences of SRHR needs of unaccompanied girls seeking asylum in Sweden, and capture how experienced needs are affected by the social contexts navigated pre, during, and post-migration. A qualitative constructivist grounded theory (CGT) methodology was applied. Data was generated through in-depth interviews with 16 participants aged 21-26, self-identifying as women, who experienced forced migration as unaccompanied girls. All had sought asylum in Sweden as minors (under age 18), and had been granted either temporary or permanent residence status. Data analysis was conducted in accordance with CGT. The findings show that unaccompanied girls and young women experience structural hindrances pre, during, and post-migration, including restrictive norms on gender and sexuality, various forms of violence, and exposure to racism and mistreatment in encounters with public institutions, impeding the fulfilment of their SRHR. Simultaneously, they construct pathways to protect themselves from harm, and find support in navigating and claiming their SRHR needs. To cope with daily struggles, and access SRHR, time, distance, and stability are important in recovery, and in adapting and integrating new perspectives on SRHR. In conclusion, this study shows that unaccompanied girls and young women are at significant risk of SRHR violations. The findings call for broad policy shifts, with focused protections against gender-based violence, in addressing the specific SRHR needs of this group. Moreover, evaluating and strengthening SRHR literacy among professionals within public institutions and these girls alike should be prioritised in promoting protective factors, independence, and agency.</p>","PeriodicalId":74466,"journal":{"name":"PLOS global public health","volume":"5 10","pages":"e0005241"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12510481/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145259883","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}