African journal of reproductive health最新文献

Promoting women's green food consumption contributes to SDGs 3, 5, 12, and 13. This study investigates how women in Beijing translate knowledge into certified green food consumption via health belief pathways. We surveyed 676 female consumers (aged 20-60) using purposive and quota sampling across various retail venues. Structural equation modeling (SEM) tested the proposed model. Results indicate that both subjective and objective knowledge significantly increase perceived benefits, susceptibility, and severity, while reducing perceived barriers. However, neither knowledge form directly affects consumption behavior. Instead, behavior is driven by health belief constructs, with cues to action also being a significant predictor. Furthermore, income and education level positively influence green food consumption. These findings theoretically enrich the discussion by integrating the Knowledge Attitude Behavior model with the Health Belief Model and distinguishing knowledge types. We also offer practical guidance for policymakers, certification bodies, retailers, and health educators aiming to promote safer, more sustainable food consumption.

Mastery of the host country language is crucial for migrants to access health services and improve their mental health. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the impact of Spanish language proficiency on health literacy and mental health of sub-Saharan African migrant women in Spain. Using online, stratified sampling, 384 women aged 15 to 49 were recruited through social media platforms such as Facebook and Telegram. The research instruments included the CEFR (language proficiency), Masoumi et al. Sexual Health Literacy Questionnaire, and DASS-21 (mental health) questionnaires, which were translated into four languages (Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Swahili). The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings showed that Spanish proficiency had a positive and significant effect on sexual health literacy and mental health, and sexual health literacy played a mediating role in this relationship. The results suggest that language training programs can improve the mental health of this population by strengthening health literacy.

China's rapid urbanization has spawned extensive informal settlements, where millions of migrant families live in overcrowded, underserved areas. These environments, characterized by inadequate housing, poor sanitation, unsafe conditions, and limited healthcare access, significantly impede the utilization of maternal healthcare, specifically Antenatal (ANC) and Postnatal Care (PNC). This study examines how built environment characteristics influence ANC and PNC use among women in these settlements across four major Chinese cities. A cross-sectional study collected data from 800 women who had given birth in the previous two years. Built environment elements were measured via subjective assessments and objective indicators, including GPS-based distance to the nearest health facility. Associations were analyzed using multivariate logistic and negative binomial regression models. Findings identify distance to health facilities, housing quality, neighborhood safety, walkability, sanitation, and transport access as critical determinants. Women in disadvantaged settings were less likely to receive adequate ANC or timely PNC. Socio-economic factors -hukou status, education, income, and health insurance- further shaped utilization patterns. The results underscore the necessity of integrating maternal health strategies into urban planning. Improving transport connectivity, upgrading informal settlements, and reducing institutional barriers for migrants are vital to enhancing maternal health and fostering equity in China's rapidly urbanizing landscape.

Pakistan is one of the top ten countries most vulnerable to climate-induced disasters, where frequent floods have displaced millions and disrupted essential services, particularly healthcare. Women of reproductive age are the most affected, facing limited access to basic sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services, including antenatal care, safe delivery, family planning, and menstrual hygiene. Despite these critical needs, SRHR remains consistently underfunded in humanitarian responses, reflecting ongoing neglect in disaster risk reduction and health system planning. This paper presents findings from a systematic literature review on SRHR financing for flood-displaced women in Pakistan, focusing on the 2010 and 2022 floods. Results, thematically coded, are cross-referenced with peer-reviewed studies, government policies, and reports from humanitarian agencies (UNFPA, WHO, NDMA), highlighting gaps in service delivery, financial allocation, and policy integration. The analysis reveals a fragmented response: NGOs often provide SRHR services without state coordination; planning lacks gender sensitivity; and support ends after short-term emergency phases. The study underscores the structural absence of displaced women's SRHR in both financing and policy frameworks. To address these gaps, the paper recommends gender-responsive health financing, integration of SRHR into disaster preparedness plans, and establishment of sustainable funding streams to protect women's health rights during crises.

This study offers a quantitative analysis of the symbolic representation of reproductive imaginaries in 60 papercut artworks created by Ku Shulan and Xiyadie. Through content analysis, key visual symbols such as floral fertility, hybrid animals, womb shapes, paired figures, metamorphic bodies, and queer intimacy were coded for their presence and intensity. The results reveal notable differences between the two artists. Ku Shulan's works prominently emphasize maternal fertility symbols with greater frequency and intensity, reflecting traditional themes of motherhood and continuity. Conversely, Xiyadie's papercuts incorporate more transformative and erotic imagery, conveying ideas of queer embodiment and alternative kinship structures. A factor analysis identified two core dimensions: one centered on maternal fertility and the other on queer transformation. Logistic regression analysis further demonstrated that these symbolic patterns strongly predict the authorship of each artwork. These findings highlight that reproductive symbolism in Chinese papercutting is far from uniform; instead, it emerges as a dynamic cultural language capable of representing both conventional maternal narratives and queer relational possibilities. This study represents the first statistical evidence demonstrating how maternal and queer reproductive systems form distinct yet interrelated symbolic frameworks within this folk art tradition.

As a pervasive and integral part of modern daily life, social media has profound negative impacts on the mental health and body image of individuals, especially women, by promoting unrealistic standards of beauty through edited images, promotional content, and constant social comparisons. This phenomenon is even more challenging in conservative and traditional societies such as Saudi Arabia, where cultural values, religious norms, and social expectations play key roles in shaping individual identity and social relationships, and can lead to increased anxiety, depression, and dissatisfaction with appearance. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of social media use on body image dissatisfaction and mental health of women in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In this cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study, 384 women aged 18 to 65 years living in Riyadh were selected by simple random sampling. Data were collected using Maziri, Littleton et al. and Goldberg and Hiller questionnaires with a 5-point Likert scale and analyzed by structural equation modeling in LISREL software α. The findings showed that more use of social networks has a positive and significant effect on body image dissatisfaction and a negative and significant effect on mental health, and also dissatisfaction with body image as a mediator that reinforces this negative effect. As a result, excessive use of social networks negatively affects women's mental health through increased body image dissatisfaction, and it is suggested that educational and awareness interventions be designed to reduce the associated negative effects.

Cultural beliefs continue to play a critical role in shaping reproductive behavior in China, even as the country undergoes rapid social and economic transformation. This study examines the influence of key cultural norms-such as son preference, traditional gender roles, filial piety, and attitudes toward contraception-on the adoption of modern family planning methods. Drawing on data from a cross-sectional field survey of married individuals aged 18-49 across selected provinces, the study employs a quantitative research design using structured questionnaires and multi-stage sampling. Composite indices of cultural beliefs were constructed using Likert-scale items, and logistic regression models were used to assess their predictive power on contraceptive use, while controlling for socio-demographic characteristics. The results indicate that stronger adherence to traditional cultural beliefs significantly reduces the likelihood of adopting modern contraceptive methods, with notable variation across education levels and urban-rural settings. These findings highlight the need for culturally sensitive family planning strategies that address underlying social norms in addition to improving service availability. The study contributes to policy debates on demographic change in China by emphasizing the intersection of culture, gender, and reproductive health behavior.

A study in China using data from the National Health Services Survey and the Cancer Registry examined factors influencing women's access to AI-assisted breast and cervical cancer screening. Analysis of data from 10,250 women aged 18-65 revealed that urban residence, higher education and income levels, and digital literacy significantly increased the likelihood of access to such screenings. Hospitals equipped with AI systems demonstrated substantially higher early detection rates. However, major barriers included distance to AI-enabled facilities and residence in western provinces. The study concludes that while AI improves diagnostic accuracy, access remains stratified along socioeconomic and geographic lines, necessitating digital infrastructure investments and equity-centered AI governance to ensure that all women benefit.

This journal proudly presents a groundbreaking special issue from China, that spotlights cutting-edge transformative research in reproductive health from resource constrained settings around the world. In this issue, 16 manuscripts -14 original research, one commentary, and one review article - converge to illuminate the intersections of technology, environment, mental wellness, and policy in shaping maternal and reproductive outcomes.

This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric assessment of global research on the use of rangeland and wild plants in women's health from 1996 to 2025. A total of 718 publications retrieved from Web of Science and Scopus were analysed using the Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny platform. Descriptive indicators, co-occurrence networks, thematic evolution, clustering, and Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) were used to map structural and conceptual trends in the field. The findings indicate a steady increase in scientific output, with an annual growth rate of 11.02%. Publications were concentrated in core journals such as Phytomedicine and Journal of Ethnopharmacology, while Iran, India, and China were the leading contributing countries. Keyword and conceptual analyses showed that traditional knowledge, medicinal plants, phytochemistry, and pharmacology form the central research axis. Notably, themes related to women's health - particularly menopause, pregnancy, infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome, and endometriosis - appeared consistently across trend, thematic, and cluster analyses, indicating a stable and growing research focus. The study highlights the multidimensional nature of ethnopharmacology at the intersection of ecosystem-derived plant resources, cultural knowledge, and clinically relevant women's health research, underscoring the need for broader geographic representation and interdisciplinary integration in future studies.