Publications by authors named "Alejandra Leyton"

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health issue in Honduras and other low- and middle-income countries, with few victims seeking help. While structural factors, such as lack of services and economic barriers, are often cited as reasons for not seeking help, social and cultural factors may also play a role. This study aims to describe the normative social environment that may hinder women's help-seeking behaviors for IPV.

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This study examined the effectiveness of anti-smoking messages in positively shifting perceptions of risks related to smoking among adolescents in urban Ghana, both directly through exposure to messaging and indirectly through catalyzing discussions among peers and adults. We used data from two waves of a population-based survey of 3775 adolescent girls and 3279 adolescent boys aged 13-16 years in the urban areas of Accra, Teshie, Kumasi and Sunyani in Ghana. Using an interviewer-directed questionnaire, information was collected on sociodemographic characteristics, tobacco knowledge, exposure to messages about tobacco, frequency of conversations with peers and adults about the health risks associated with smoking, as well as beliefs and attitudes towards smoking.

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Background: Given the long-term health effects of smoking during adolescence and the substantial role that tobacco-related morbidity and mortality play in the global burden of disease, there is a worldwide need to design and implement effective youth-focused smoking prevention interventions. While smoking prevention interventions that focus on both social competence and social influence have been successful in preventing smoking uptake among adolescents in developed countries, their effectiveness in developing countries has not yet been clearly demonstrated. SKY Girls is a multimedia, empowerment and anti-smoking program aimed at 13-16-year old girls in Accra, Ghana.

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Background: Women are under-represented in many mid-career infectious diseases research fellowships, including a TDR fellowship for low- and middle-income country (LMIC) researchers. TDR solicited creative ideas as part of a challenge contest to increase the number of women fellowship applicants. The purpose of this study is to examine themes from submitted ideas and the impact of implementing the top three ideas on the number of women applicants.

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Background: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) against women is a complex phenomenon with long-term consequences for victims and their families.

Objective: The goals of this study are two-fold: to identify common patterns of co-occurring and/or successive experiences with IPV; and to study the association between these IPV patterns and outcomes of Early Childhood Development (ECD) among the victim's children.

Data And Participants: Data was obtained from the 2011-12 Honduras Demographic Health Survey (DHS).

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The experience of intimate partner violence (IPV) is influenced by individual, relationship, community, and societal-level factors, including the prevalence and acceptance of societal violence in which the victim lives. These factors transcend a woman's present circumstances and personal history and the gender and power relationships within her household. This is particularly relevant in Honduras, where a high level of IPV occurs within a traditionally patriarchal society and growing societal violence and crime.

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Background: Population-based measures of intervention coverage are used in low- and middle-income countries for program planning, prioritization, and evaluation. There is increased interest in effective coverage, which integrates information about service quality or health outcomes. Approaches proposed for quality-adjusted effective coverage include linking data on need and service contact from population-based surveys with data on service quality from health facility surveys.

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