‘Proyecto Orgullo’, an HIV prevention,empowerment and community mobilisation intervention for gay men and transgender women in Callao/Lima,Peru

ABSTRACT

We used qualitative, quantitative, and observational methods to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of Proyecto Orgullo (PO), a pilot community mobilisation intervention to decrease sexual risk, promote health-seeking behaviours, and facilitate personal and community empowerment among gay men (GM) and transgender women (TW) in Peru. PO was adapted from Mpowerment and Hermanos de Luna y Sol, two US interventions. PO included six interrelated core elements: (1) Self-reflection Small Group sessions; (2) Supporting peers in HIV prevention; (3) Mobilisation Activities addressing HIV, GM/TW issues, and community empowerment; (4) A Core Group (staff?+?GM/TW volunteers) designing/implementing those activities; (5) A Project Space; (6) Publicity. PO included specific components for TW, but promoted that GM/TW, who historically have not worked well together, collaborate for a common goal. We found that PO was embraced by GM/TW. PO positively influenced GM/TW’s HIV prevention beliefs, self-efficacy, and behaviours; provided social support and created community; facilitated individual and community empowerment; achieved that GM/TW collaborate; and established a functional Community Centre for socialising/conducting mobilisation activities. Community mobilisation strategies, lacking from HIV prevention efforts in Peru but considered key to HIV prevention, can help improve health-seeking behaviours and consolidate social norms supporting preventive behaviours among GM/TW.     

Complementary medicine and childhood immunisation: A critical review

BackgroundVaccination is one of the most significant and successful public health measures of recent times. Whilst the use of complementary medicine (CM) continues to grow, it has been suggested that CM practitioners hold anti-vaccination views. The objective of this critical review is to examine the evidence base in relation to CM practitioner attitudes to childhood vaccination alongside attitudes to vaccination among parents who visit CM practitioners and/or use CM products.MethodsA database search was conducted in MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE and AMED for research articles published between January 2000 and September 2015 that evaluated either CM practitioner or CM user attitudes and intention towards childhood vaccination.ResultsA total of 23 articles were found that detailed the attitudes of CM practitioners to vaccination. A further 16 papers examined the association between the use of CM products and visits to CM practitioners, and immunisation. The interface between CM and vaccination is complex, multi-factorial and often highly individualised. The articles suggest that there is no default position on immunisation by CM practitioners or parents who use CM themselves, or for their children. Although CM use does seem positively associated with lower vaccination uptake, this may be confounded by other factors associated with CM use (such as higher income, higher education or distrust of the medical system), and may not necessarily indicate independent or predictive relationships.ConclusionsAlthough anti-vaccination sentiment is significant amongst some CM practitioners, this review uncovers a more nuanced picture, and one that may be more agreeable to public health values than formerly assumed.     

The Role of Gender Empowerment on Reproductive Health Outcomes in Urban Nigeria

To date, limited evidence is available for urban populations in sub-Saharan Africa, specifically research into the association between urban women’s empowerment and reproductive health outcomes. The objective of this study is to investigate whether women’s empowerment in urban Nigerian settings is associated with family planning use and maternal health behaviors. Moreover, we examine whether different effects of empowerment exist by region of residence. This study uses baseline household survey data from the Measurement, Learning and Evaluation Project for the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative being implemented in six major cities. We examine four dimensions of empowerment: economic freedom, attitudes towards domestic violence, partner prohibitions and decision-making. We determine if the empowerment dimensions have different effects on reproductive health outcomes by region of residence using multivariate analyses. Results indicate that more empowered women are more likely to use modern contraception, deliver in a health facility and have a skilled attendant at birth. These trends vary by empowerment dimension and by city/region in Nigeria. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings on future programs seeking to improve reproductive health outcomes in urban Nigeria and beyond.     

Delayed presentation and diagnosis of breast cancer in African women: a systematic review

PurposeAfrica has low breast cancer incidence rates but high mortality rates from this disease due to poor survival. Delays in presentation and diagnosis are major determinants of breast cancer survival, but these have not been comprehensively investigated in Africa.MethodsMEDLINE, Embase, and Global Health were searched to identify studies reporting on delays in presentation and/or diagnosis of breast cancer published between January 1, 2000 and May 31, 2016. Data were synthesized in narrative, tabular, and graphical forms. Meta-analyses were not possible due to between-study differences in the way delays were reported.ResultsTwenty-one studies were included in the review. Study-specific average times between symptom recognition and presentation to a health care provider ranged from less than 1 to 4 months in North Africa and from less than 3 to greater than 6 months in sub-Saharan Africa. Study-specific average times from presentation to diagnosis were less than 1 month in North Africa but ranged from less than 3 to greater than 6 months in sub-Saharan Africa. Reported reasons for these delays included patient-mediated (e.g., socioeconomic factors) and health system–mediated factors (e.g., referral pathways).ConclusionsThis systematic review revealed marked delays in presentation and diagnosis of breast cancer in Africa. Identification of their drivers is crucial to the development of appropriate control strategies in the continent.     

Child vaccination in sub-Saharan Africa: Increasing coverage addresses inequalities

BackgroundVaccines have substantially contributed to reducing morbidity and mortality among children, but inequality in coverage continues to persist. In this study, we aimed to examine inequalities in child vaccination coverage in sub-Saharan Africa.MethodsWe analysed Demographic and Health Survey data in 25 sub-Saharan African countries. We defined full vaccination coverage as a child who received one dose of bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine (BCG), three doses of diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus vaccine (DTP 3), three oral polio vaccine doses (OPV 3), and one dose of measles vaccine. We used the concentration index (CCI) to measure wealth-related inequality in full vaccination, incomplete vaccination, and zero-dose children within and between countries. We fitted a multilevel regression model to identify predictors of inequality in receipts of full vaccination.ResultsOverall, 56.5% (95% CI: 55.7% to 57.3%) of children received full vaccination, 35.1% (34.4% to 35.7%) had incomplete vaccination, while 8.4% (95% CI: 8.0% to 8.8%) of children remained unvaccinated. Full vaccination coverage across the 25 sub-Saharan African countries ranged from 24% in Guinea to 93% in Rwanda. We found pro-rich inequality in full vaccination coverage in 23 countries, except for Gambia and Namibia, where we found pro-poor vaccination coverage. Countries with lower vaccination coverage had higher inequalities suggesting pro-rich coverage, while inequality in unvaccinated children was disproportionately concentrated among disadvantaged subgroups. Four or more antenatal care contracts, childbirth at health facility, improved maternal education, higher household wealth, and frequently listening to the radio increased vaccine uptake.ConclusionsContinued efforts to improve access to vaccination services are required in sub-Saharan Africa. Improving vaccination coverage and reducing inequalities requires enhancing access to quality services that are accessible, affordable, and acceptable to all. Vaccination programs should target critical social determinants of health and address barriers to better maternal health-seeking behaviour.     

The magnitude of the maternal mortality problem in sub-Saharan Africa

Estimates of national levels of maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa are based on limited and defective data and subject to considerable discussion. In this paper, existing data from several sources are reviewed. The attempt has been made to assess the level of maternal mortality by studying the relative importance of maternal death, health services coverage data, perinatal mortality, causes of maternal death and traditional birth practices. It is concluded that national levels of maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa most likely vary from 250 to 700 per 100,000 live births, in proportion to the variation in overall levels of mortality in the countries. There is a need for more studies either based on data from peripheral hospitals or on community surveys. Such studies should analyse coverage of deliveries, coverage of maternal deaths, causes of maternal deaths, socioeconomic differentials, perinatal mortality and should pay special attention to the increasing problem of abortion-related mortality.     

Improving obstetric care in low-resource settings: implementation of facility-based maternal death reviews in five pilot hospitals in Senegal

Background  

In sub-Saharan Africa, maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity are major problems. Service availability and quality of care in health facilities are heterogeneous and most often inadequate. In resource-poor settings, the facility-based maternal death review or audit is one of the most promising strategies to improve health service performance. We aim to explore and describe health workers' perceptions of facility-based maternal death reviews and to identify barriers to and facilitators of the implementation of this approach in pilot health facilities of Senegal.     

Prevention of alcohol misuse: a review of health promotion efforts among American Indians

PURPOSE. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of a wide range of potentially useful strategies to address the prevention of alcohol misuse among American Indians. This broad approach to the review is useful because the extreme heterogeneity of the American Indian population requires that health promotion professionals explore many options and tailor their activities to specific communities. SEARCH METHOD. A literature search was initiated through MEDLINE using the following key words: prevention, alcohol, substance abuse, American Indian, and Native American. The search yielded 29 articles from the years 1982 through 1994. These articles, along with 45 previously identified in three overview articles, form the basis of the review and discussion in this paper. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS. As a group, American Indians experience many health problems that are related to alcohol misuse. Comparison of Indians to non-Indians shows that the age of first involvement with alcohol is younger, the frequency and amount of drinking is greater, and negative consequences are more common. Health promotion programs that address these issues must take into account American Indian heterogeneity and should use a comprehensive approach that addresses both heavy drinking and the sequelae of problems related to alcohol misuse. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS. Important concepts for providing health promotion services to this population are: cultural relevance must be carefully planned and monitored; individuals in the local community must be involved; the drunken Indian stereotype must be addressed; and community empowerment should be an important goal.     

Print media reporting of male circumcision for preventing HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa

Objective

To review the types, content and accuracy of print media reports on male circumcision for preventing HIV infection among men in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods

We conducted a trilingual search (English, French, Portuguese) of LexisNexis^® with the phrase “male circumcision” for the period from 28 March 2007 to 30 June 2008. The articles identified were screened for the central theme of male circumcision for preventing HIV infection in men in sub-Saharan Africa and for publication types targeting lay audiences – newspapers, magazines, newswires or newsletters. We judged the accuracy of the reports and determined the context, public perceptions, misconceptions and areas of missing information in the print media. We also explored whether the media could be better used to maximize the impact of male circumcision.

Findings

We identified 412 articles, of which 219 were unique and 193 were repeats. “Peaks and valleys” occurred in the volume of articles over time. Most articles (56.0%) presented male circumcision for the prevention of HIV infection in a positive light. Those that portrayed it negatively had an overall repeat rate 2.9 times higher than positive articles. Public health messages formulated by international health agencies were few but generally accurate.

Conclusion

The accuracy of the reports was good, although the articles were few and frequently omitted important messages. This suggests that public health authorities must help the media understand important issues. A communication strategy to sequence important themes as male circumcision programmes are scaled up would allow strategic coverage of accurate messages over time.     

Community and health system factors associated with facility delivery in rural Tanzania: A multilevel analysis

ObjectivesTanzania, a country with high maternal mortality, has many primary health facilities yet has a low rate of facility deliveries. This study estimated the contribution of individual and community factors in explaining variation in the use of health facilities for childbirth in rural Tanzania.MethodsA two-stage cluster population-based survey was conducted in Kasulu District, western Tanzania with women with a recent delivery. Random intercept multilevel logistic regression models were used to assess the association between individual- and village-level factors and likelihood of facility delivery.Results1205 women participated in the study. In the fully adjusted two-level model, in addition to several individual factors, positive village perception of doctor and nurse skills (odds ratio (OR) 6.72, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.47–18.31) and negative perception of traditional birth attendant skills (OR 0.13, 95% CI: 0.04–0.40) were associated with higher odds of facility delivery.ConclusionThis study suggests that community perceptions of the quality of the local health system influence women's decisions to deliver in a clinic. Improving quality of care at first-level clinics and communicating this to communities may assist efforts to increase facility delivery in sub-Saharan Africa.     

Human rights in the Horn of Africa: an index of child and maternal health

ObjectiveTo construct a territorial measure and classification of child and maternal health in the countries of the Horn of Africa based on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015.MethodThe design of our index includes the variables child and maternal health defined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to enable territorial ranking of the countries. For this purpose, we used Pena's distance method for 2017.ResultsThe results indicate a relatively high territorial disparity in maternal health between the countries of the Horn of Africa according to the differing values of the SDGs variables of child and maternal health.ConclusionsWe propose a territorial classification in the countries of the Horn of Africa. We believe that the most striking differences between countries relate to basic variables of maternal health such as being attended by skilled health personnel.     

Group-based microfinance for collective empowerment: a systematic review of health impacts

ObjectiveTo assess the impact on health-related outcomes, of group microfinance schemes based on collective empowerment.MethodsWe searched the databases Social Sciences Citation Index, Embase, MEDLINE, MEDLINE In-Process, PsycINFO, Social Policy & Practice and Conference Proceedings Citation Index for articles published between 1 January 1980 and 29 February 2016. Articles reporting on health impacts associated with group-based microfinance were included in a narrative synthesis.FindingsWe identified one cluster-randomized control trial and 22 quasi-experimental studies. All of the included interventions targeted poor women living in low- or middle-income countries. Some included a health-promotion component. The results of the higher quality studies indicated an association between membership of a microfinance scheme and improvements in the health of women and their children. The observed improvements included reduced maternal and infant mortality, better sexual health and, in some cases, lower levels of interpersonal violence. According to the results of the few studies in which changes in empowerment were measured, membership of the relatively large and well-established microfinance schemes generally led to increased empowerment but this did not necessarily translate into improved health outcomes. Qualitative evidence suggested that increased empowerment may have contributed to observed improvements in contraceptive use and mental well-being and reductions in the risk of violence from an intimate partner.ConclusionMembership of the larger, well-established group-based microfinance schemes is associated with improvements in some health outcomes. Future studies need to be designed to cope better with bias and to assess negative as well as positive social and health impacts.     

Economic evaluations of interventions to reduce neonatal morbidity and mortality: a review of the evidence in LMICs and its implications for South Africa

Background

Newborn mortality, comprising a third of all under-5 deaths, has hardly changed in low and middle income countries (LMICs) including South Africa over the past decade. To attain the MDG 4 target, greater emphasis must be placed on wide-scale implementation of proven, cost-effective interventions. This paper reviews economic evidence on effective neonatal health interventions in LMICs from 2000–2013; documents lessons for South African policy on neonatal health; and identifies gaps and areas for future research.

Methods

A narrative review was performed in leading public health databases for full economic evaluations conducted between 2000 and 2013. Data extraction from the articles included in the review was guided by the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) checklist, and the quality of the included economic evaluations was assessed using the Quality of Health Economics Studies Instrument (QHES).

Results

Twenty-seven economic evaluations were identified, from South East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, with those from sub-Saharan Africa primarily focused on HIV/AIDS. Packages of care to prevent neonatal mortality were more cost-effective than vertical interventions. A wide variability in methodological approaches challenges the comparability of study results between countries. In South Africa, there is limited cost-effectiveness evidence for the interventions proposed by the National Perinatal Morbidity and Mortality Committee.

Conclusions

Neonatal strategies have a strong health system focus but this review suggests that strengthening community care could be an additional component for averting neonatal deaths. While some evidence exists, having a more complete understanding of how to most effectively deploy scarce resources for neonatal health in South Africa in the post-2015 era is essential.

     

Challenges to the reproductive-health needs of African women: on religion and maternal health utilization in Ghana

How relevant is religion to our understanding of maternal health (MH) service utilization in sub-Saharan Africa? We ask this question mainly because while the effect of religion on some aspects of reproductive behavior (e.g., fertility, contraception) has not gone unnoticed in the region, very few studies have examined the possible link with MH service utilization. Understanding this link in the context of sub-Saharan Africa is particularly relevant given the overriding influence of religion on the social fabric of Africans and the unacceptably high levels of maternal mortality in the region. As African countries struggle to achieve their stipulated reductions in maternal and child mortality levels by two-thirds by 2015 as part of the Millennium Development Goals, the need to examine the complex set of macro- and micro-factors that affect maternal and child health in the region cannot be underestimated. Using data from the 2003 Ghana Demographic Survey, we found religion (measured by denominational affiliation) to be a significant factor in MH use. This is true even after we had controlled for socio-economic variables. In general, Moslem and traditional women were less likely to use such services compared with Christians. The findings are discussed with reference to our theoretical framework and some policy issues are highlighted.     

A scoping review of interventions to address intimate partner violence in sub-Saharan African healthcare

ABSTRACT

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a widespread global health problem, with negative effects on women’s health and HIV transmission and treatment. There is little evidence on how to address IPV effectively in lower-resourced healthcare settings, particularly those that are impacted by significant HIV epidemics. We conducted a scoping review to provide an overview of the literature on IPV screening and intervention programmes in sub-Saharan African healthcare. The included studies used mainly qualitative methods. We identified five main themes: the acceptability to female clients, the importance of confidentiality, provider concerns, barriers due to gender norms, and need for referrals and comprehensive services. Research in this field is limited, and a robust research agenda is needed to provide effective IPV interventions for women seeking healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa.     

Surveillance de la santé buccodentaire en Afrique : revue actuelle des politiques et stratégies

BackgroundThis article aims to analyze the situation of oral health surveillance in Africa, as certain trends in political and regional strategies and to initiate a reflection on future orientations of African health information systems.MethodsA literature review from 1997 to 2008 was performed using PubMed/Medline, The Cochrane Library and Pascal. A search with the same terms and expressions was performed on Internet using the website Google Scholar and WHO. Keywords and headings corresponding to a list of terms and expressions related to the oral health surveillance were “health information systems”, “oral health surveillance”, “politics”, “strategies” and “indicators for Africa”.ResultsFifty-eight articles were analyzed and results concerned insufficiencies and stakes of oral health surveillance systems for the African region. Many political recommendations and strategies contribute to better comprehension of problematic and new orientations for oral health surveillance systems, as new public health issues develop together with new challenges for the African region.ConclusionMany perspectives related to an integrated approach to the prevention of chronic diseases based on risk factors and availability of the STEP-wise approach recommended by the WHO for the use of essential oral health indicators in Africa. These perspectives argue for potential development of a regional information system.     

Health promotion: a profitable investment? Economic efficiency of preventive interventions in Spain

OBJECTIVE: To examine the quantity and quality of economic evaluations analyzing preventive interventions in Spain to September 2005, with the further goal of extracting conclusions for further research and the design of future programs. METHODS: We performed a systematic review of the evidence. First, we defined the criteria for including studies in our review. Second, a search was conducted of specialized search engines (Pubmed, NHS EED, DARE, HTA, HRSPROJ, IME, EMBASE) and a manual search was performed of journals and the web sites of Spanish public health organizations. In a third phase, the characteristics relevant to our analysis were extracted from the selected articles. Lastly, the characteristics collected were analyzed through uni- and bivariate analyses. RESULTS: Forty-nine articles were found that complied with the inclusion criteria, of which 40 were reviewed. The technique most extensively used was cost-effectiveness analysis (60% of all articles). Twenty-eight evaluations (70%) focused on immunization campaigns. The quality of publications increased overtime, from an average score of 4.21 (1985-1995) to 6.38 (1995-2004), although several methodological areas still require improvement. Lastly, 72.5% of the studies supported the universal use or expansion of the policy analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish research community should increase efforts to improve the quantity and quality of economic evaluations in preventive health. Three basic strategies are suggested: a) evaluation of the preventive programs currently in place in Spain and dissemination of the results; b) efforts to publish and index articles in international scientific journals; and c) adherence to international economic evaluation guidelines and manuals.     

Effect of environmental exposure to hydrogen sulfide on central nervous system and respiratory function: a systematic review of human studies

Background: Assessment of the health effects of low-level exposure to hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) on humans through experiments, industrial, and community studies has shown inconsistent results.

Objective: To critically appraise available studies investigating the effect of H₂S on the central nervous system (CNS) and on respiratory function.

Methods: A search was conducted in 16 databases for articles published between January 1980 and July 2014. Two researchers independently evaluated potentially relevant papers based on a set of inclusion/exclusion criteria.

Results: Twenty-seven articles met the inclusion criteria: 6 experimental, 12 industry-based studies, and 10 community-based studies (one article included both experimental and industry-based studies). The results of the systematic review varied by study setting and quality. Several community-based studies reported associations between day-to-day variations in H₂S levels and health outcomes among patients with chronic respiratory conditions. However, evidence from the largest and better-designed community-based studies did not support that chronic, ambient H₂S exposure has health effects on the CNS or respiratory function. Results from industry-based studies varied, reflecting the diversity of settings and the broad range of H₂S exposures. Most studies did not have individual measurements of H₂S exposure.

Discussion: The results across studies were inconsistent, justifying the need for further research.     

Stakeholder perspectives on the implementation and impact of Indigenous health interventions: A systematic review of qualitative studies

BackgroundEvaluations of health interventions for Indigenous peoples rarely report outcomes that reflect participant and community perspectives of their experiences. Inclusion of such data may provide a fuller picture of the impact of health programmes and improve the usefulness of evaluation assessments.AimTo describe stakeholder perspectives and experiences of the implementation and impact of Indigenous health programmes.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review of qualitative studies evaluating complex health interventions designed for Indigenous communities in high‐income countries. We searched 6 electronic databases (through to January 2020): MEDLINE, PreMEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, EconLit and CINAHL and hand‐searched reference lists of relevant articles.ResultsFrom 28 studies involving 677 stakeholders (mostly clinical staff and participants), six main themes were identified: enabling engagement, regaining control of health, improving social health and belonging, preserving community and culture, cultivating hope for a better life, and threats to long‐term programme viability.ConclusionThe prominence of social, emotional and spiritual well‐being as important aspects of the health journey for participants in this review highlights the need to reframe evaluations of health programmes implemented in Indigenous communities away from assessments that focus on commonly used biomedical measures. Evaluators, in consultation with the community, should consistently assess the capacity of health professionals to meet community needs and expectations throughout the life of the programme. Evaluations that include qualitative data on participant and community‐level outcomes can improve decision‐makers'' understanding of the impact that health programmes have on communities.Patient or public contributionThis paper is a review of evaluation studies and did not involve patients or the public.     

A comparative analysis of the use of maternal health services between teenagers and older mothers in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS)

This paper uses Demographic and Health Surveys data from 21 countries in sub-Saharan Africa to examine the use of maternal health services by teenagers. A comparison of maternal health care between teenagers and older women, based on bivariate analysis shows little variation in maternal health care by age. However, after controlling for the effect of background factors such as parity, premarital births, educational attainment and urban/rural residence in a multivariate analysis, there is evidence that teenagers have poorer maternal health care than older women with similar background characteristics. The results from multilevel logistic models applied to pooled data across countries show that teenagers are generally more likely to receive inadequate antenatal care and have non-professional deliveries. An examination of country-level variations shows significant differences in the levels of maternal health care across countries. However, there is no evidence of significant variations across countries in the observed patterns of maternal health care by maternal age. This suggests that the observed patterns by maternal age are generalizable across the sub-Saharan Africa region.