Community health equity research & policy最新文献

Background: Maternal health literacy (MHL) and health information-seeking behavior (HISB) could impact maternal health and pregnancy outcomes.Purpose and Research Design: This cross-sectional study investigated MHL, HISBs, and pregnancy outcomes in Iranian pregnant women. This study was also aimed to determine the predictors of MHL and pregnancy outcomes.Study smple and Data Collection: In this study, 337 randomly selected postpartum women completed three questionnaires, including a demographics form, an obstetrics history checklist, and the Maternal Health Literacy and Pregnancy Outcome Questionnaire (MHLAPQ).Results: The mean MHL and pregnancy outcome scores were 60.80 ± 9.91 and 49.88 ± 5.69, respectively. Of the participants, 56% adopted both formal and informal HISB. Education and internet HISB was associated with the odds of being in the group with higher MHL. Participants with high MHL had more than twice higher odds for better pregnancy outcomes (OR = 2.25, p < 0.004).Conclusions: Continued efforts are required to make health information sources more accessible to pregnant women to improve their health literacy and pregnancy outcomes.

Introduction: Breastfeeding is a public health practice that is critical for the survival of infants and young children. This study aimed at determining the knowledge, attitude, and future intention to breastfeed among female undergraduates in tertiary institutions in Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria.Methodology: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted among 1312 female students of the tertiary institutions in Ekiti State. By convenience sampling, female students were invited to participate in the study after giving verbal consent and those studying medical, nursing, and other courses allied to medicine were excluded. Internal consistency of the data obtained from this research instrument was determined using Cronbach's coefficient Alpha with a reliability value of 0.82. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 25. Descriptive as well as inferential statistics were computed. Results were summarized as frequencies and percentages. The differences in knowledge, attitude, and intention to practice breastfeeding as well as other responses among the participants were compared among age groups, faculties and the sources of information using Chi-square test.

Result: Although 93% of the respondents agreed that breast milk is important for the development of the infant's brain thereby demonstrating good knowledge; 51.6% of the respondents demonstrated poor perception to breastfeeding believing breastfeeding makes the breast to sag while only 34% of the respondents indicated their intention to breastfeed their future babies.

Conclusion: The intention to breastfeed among our study participants was poor. This study revealed the need to increase awareness about breastfeeding and its benefits among this huge population of future mothers.

Purpose: This paper examines community leaders' and researchers' recommendations for reaching rural communities in a southeastern U.S. state with cancer prevention and control programming.

Research design: A qualitative inquiry of a grant network's research and community councils was conducted to explore members' opinions on how to engage rural communities and obtain input on how to recruit rural organizations for a mini-grants program.

Study sample and data collection: Telephone/virtual interviews were conducted with all 13 council members. Responses were analyzed using thematic analysis and findings were examined within the context of system-centric and patient-centric dimensions.

Results: Council members discussed limited education, lack of insurance, low socioeconomic status, health care avoidance, and transportation as barriers to cancer prevention and control. They recommended reaching rural populations by partnering with community and faith-based organizations, use of targeted multi-media, and tailored cancer education trainings.

Conclusions: Findings are used for guiding outreach with rural communities and recruitment of rural organizations for a cancer-focused mini-grants initiative.

This ethnographic study of one United States university's sexual health resources explores the role of peer relationships in sexual health promotion to understand how these relationships shaped students' interactions with campus sexual health resources. Through analysis of seventeen semi-structured interviews with students, five policy interviews with providers and university personnel, and participant-observation of peer health educator training, the authors examine how trust in peer relationships can serve as a form of social capital to influence sexual health information sharing. The article introduces the term "peer administrator" to describe student actors who sit at the intersection of friend and official resource and explores the importance of these mentoring relationships for sexual health promotion. The analysis also considers how more individualistic models of public health promotion limit the impact of peer relationships and concludes with a discussion of how universities might imagine new forms of sexual health promotion among students.

Background: Low-income women (LIW) are underrepresented in physician-provided cervical cancer screening. Providing women with an option for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling would increase cervical cancer screening. However, little is known about LIW's attitude towards self-sampling for cervical cancer. We determined the associations between the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) constructs and LIW intention for participation in the HPV self-sampling.

Methods: A 44-item survey was administered among women receiving food from a food pantry in central Texas. Independent variables included TPB constructs (i.e., attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control). The outcome variables were intentions and preference for self-sampling. Both variables were measured on a 5-point scale. Hierarchical linear regression models were used to analyze the data.

Results: A sample of 241 participants (age 50.13 ± 9.60 years) comprising non-Hispanic White (40%), Black/African American (27%), and Hispanic (30%) participated in the study. The participants were current with a pap test (54.8%) and preferred self-sampling (42%). The participant's attitudes and subjective norms were significantly associated with their intention for self-sampling, accounting for 38.7% of the variance (p < .001). Women who were overdue for pap testing versus current with pap testing had increased odds of preferring self-sampling (OR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.27, 6.04).

Conclusions: The key predictors for LIW's intention for self-sampling included attitudes and subjective norms. Future research should use the TPB as a framework to examine whether intention predicts self-sampling behavior among LIW.

Background: In global health, international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) frequently hire, train, and partner with host-country clinicians who manage public outreach and patient care. Purpose and Research Design: We conducted a general interpretivist study of Basotho clinicians hired by NGOs and academic affiliates in Lesotho to identify cultural barriers and facilitators to community and patient education. Data Collection and Analysis: We conducted 13 interviews involving 16 participants (one physician, one nutritionist, 14 nurses). Using an inductive and iterative approach, we analyzed interview transcripts through the lens of social cognitive theory and identified 15 themes. Results: Major findings highlighted: 1) patient and community learners may view Basotho clinicians as authority figures; 2) family and community power dynamics affect healthcare access for vulnerable patient groups; and 3) village leaders may refuse community education when excluded from problem-solving and early planning. Conclusions: Although local clinicians and community members may identify with the same cultural group, clinicians can encounter cultural barriers to patient and community education.

Relatively little is known about readiness of urban health systems to address health needs of the poor. This study explored stakeholders' perception of health needs and strategies for improving health of the urban poor using qualitative analysis. Focus group discussions (n = 5) were held with 26 stakeholders drawn from two Nigerian states during a workshop. Urban areas are characterised by double burden of diseases. Poor housing, lack of basic amenities, poverty, and poor access to information are determinants of health of the urban poor. Shortage of health workers, stock-out of medicines, high cost of care, lack of clinical practice guidelines, and dual practice constrain access to primary health services. An overarching strategy, that prioritises community-driven urban planning, health-in-all policies, structured linkages between informal and formal providers, financial protection schemes, and strengthening of primary health care system, is required to address health needs of the urban poor.

The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between women's cultural capital and self-care. A survey was employed with a sample size of 737 women living in the marginal, middle, and upper areas of Yazd in terms of socioeconomic characteristics. Data were analyzed using structural equation modelling by SPSS and Amos version 24. The results revealed that the effect of cultural capital on self-care was positive and significant (β = 0.46, p < 0.001). The effectiveness rates of cultural capital on women's self-care in the marginal, middle, and upper areas were 0.44, 0.32 and 0.45, respectively (p < 0.001). Besides, there was no significant difference between the intensity of the relationship between cultural capital and self-care in the three areas (CR < 1.96). The fit indices also indicated that the model had a good fit (CMIN/DF = 2.560, NFI = 0.916, RMSEA = 0.033, CFI = 0.946, TLI = 0.922, GFI = 0.963, IFI = 0.947).

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led Cameroon's government to implement public health measures aimed at preventing its spread. This paper investigates how community health education on the virus was being carried out, what gaps exist and what further action could be taken. A survey instrument was used to gather data among a total of 179 Cameroonians recruited via opportunistic and snowball sampling methods. According to our findings, gaps exist. These include the need for adequate community health education on COVID-19, maximising multilingualism and indigenous cultural assets and disbanding misconceptions on the pandemic, as well as stigmatisation. The paper culminates by underlining the significance of an integrated approach to confront the pandemic. This approach captures the need to frame but also firm up community health education architecture on COVID-19 that captures inputs from different stakeholders, including indigenous knowledge holders, for collective wellbeing.

This journal article was primarily carried out to pinpoint whether emotional intelligence and pro-social behavior predicts academic achievement of University students. To achieve this, data was gathered from 111 (m = 50, F = 53) students by using stratified simple random sampling technique. As the results of Pearson correlation coefficient showed that, there was statistically significant positive association between emotional intelligence and pro-social behavior. However, it was found that there was no relationship between emotional intelligence and academic achievement. On the other hand, there was a statistically significant negative correlation between pro-social behavior and academic achievement of students. Findings from multiple regression indicated that, emotional intelligence predicted pro-social behavior of students, whereas, emotional intelligence didn't predict academic achievement of students. On the other hand, pro-social behavior negatively and significantly predicted academic achievement of students. Besides, there was no significant gender difference in emotional intelligence and pro-social behavior. However, there was statistically significant disparity amidst male and female students in academic achievement and male students exceed female counterparts in general level of academic performance. As one sample t-test result depicted, Majority of students have high level of emotional intelligence, pro-social behavior and academic performance. The researcher forwarded the following recommendations for instructors, the university management and Medias. Socio-emotional training's should be provided to students, intensive studies should be conducted on this topic, teachers of the university should advocate the importance of emotional intelligence and pro-social behavior in the class room, the university and broadcasting Medias should give attention for the topic.