Effective community entry: reflections on community engagement in culturally sensitive research in southwestern Nigeria.

Effective community entry processes influence community participation and acceptance of public health interventions. Though there is a growing body of literature on the importance of community partnerships, there is a lack of pragmatic and practical documentation of the experiences involved in the community entry process as it relates to culturally sensitive topics such as child marriage which can help to support researchers working in this field. This article highlights key themes related to knowledge of the community, effective communication, cultural sensitivity, coproduction and giving feedback which help to build trust between the community members and the research team.

Challenges to the Provision of Services for Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence in Canada During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of a Nationwide Web-Based Survey.

The COVID-19 pandemic increased women's vulnerability to intimate partner and sexual violence (IPV/SV), as well as challenging organizations' ability to respond. This research is based on a 2021 nationwide survey about the impacts of COVID-19 on IPV/SV services across Canada. Nationwide, organizations adopted several measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, including scaling back services, reducing or stopping their volunteers, and reducing the number of in-shelter clients.

State and sex-specific trends in the annual incidence of child marriage in the United States since the year 2000.

Objectives: Child marriage, defined as marriage before 18 years of age, is a violation of human rights with harmful consequences for population health, educational attainment, and economic opportunities. Child marriage is legal across most of the United States but how often it happens is challenging to estimate. We measured state and sex-specific trends in the annual incidence of child marriage in 41 states and the District of Columbia.

A protocol for a controlled, pre-post intervention study to change attitudes toward child marriage in Southwestern Nigeria using targeted radio programming.

Background: Child marriage hinders progress toward population health and development goals. Cost effective interventions that address the root causes of child marriage are needed to speed progress toward ending the practice. Nigeria is home to the largest number of married girls in Africa and many of these girls are members of the Hausa ethnic group, making efforts to tackle this issue particularly urgent among this population.

Child Marriage or Statutory Rape? A Comparison of Law and Practice Across the United States.

Purpose: In many U.S. states, children can legally marry at an earlier age than they can legally consent to sex, leading to situations in which sex between spouses may be a criminal act.

The health consequences of child marriage: a systematic review of the evidence.

Background: Child marriage, defined as marriage before 18 years of age, is a violation of human rights and a marker of gender inequality. Growing attention to this issue on the global development agenda also reflects concerns that it may negatively impact health. We conducted a systematic review to synthesize existing research on the consequences of child marriage on health and to assess the risk of bias in this body of literature.

Child Marriage in Mainland China.

Child marriage, defined as marriage before 18 years of age, has harmful consequences for health and development and is an indicator of gender inequality. We used publicly available data from the 2000 and 2010 censuses to estimate the national and provincial-level prevalence of child marriage across mainland China. Between 2000 and 2010, the prevalence of child marriage rose from 2.

Child marriage in Canada: A systematic review.

Child marriage, defined by the United Nations as marriage before the age of 18, is considered a violation of human rights with negative consequences for girls' health. We systematically reviewed existing academic literature and news media to learn what is known about the frequency of child marriage in Canada and its effects on health. Approximately 1% of 15-19-year-olds in Canada were married or in common law unions in 2016.

Cash transfer programs have differential effects on health: A review of the literature from low and middle-income countries.

Background: Cash transfer programs have grown increasingly popular and are now used as interventions to target a wide array of health outcomes across many diverse settings. However, cash transfer experiments have yielded mixed results, highlighting gaps in our understanding of how these programs work. In particular, we do not yet know whether cash transfers are more effective for certain health outcomes compared to others, or are more effective for some population subgroups compared to others.

The Lived Experience of Child Marriage in the United States.

Despite international and domestic calls to end child marriage, 48 U.S. states permit the marriage of minors younger than age 18 as of August 2018.

Changes in support for the continuation of female genital mutilation/cutting and religious views on the practice in 19 countries.

Campaigns to end female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) have been ongoing for decades. Many countries have adopted legislation that criminalises the practice and programmatic interventions aim to reduce support for it by presenting it as a violation of human rights and by highlighting associated health risks. We used Demographic and Health Survey data from 19 countries to measure national-level trends in the prevalence of FGM/C, reported support for the continuation of the practice, and the belief that it is a religious requirement among men and women.

The impact of eliminating primary school tuition fees on child marriage in sub-Saharan Africa: A quasi-experimental evaluation of policy changes in 8 countries.

Background: Child marriage harms girls' health and hinders progress toward development goals. Randomized studies have shown that providing financial incentives for girls' education can effectively delay marriage, but larger-scale interventions are needed in light of slow progress toward curbing the practice. Many sub-Saharan African countries eliminated primary school tuition fees over the past two decades, resulting in massive increases in enrolment.

Child Marriage in the United States: How Common Is the Practice, And Which Children Are at Greatest Risk?

Context: Marriage before the age of 18, commonly referred to as child marriage, is legal under varying conditions across the United States. The prevalence of child marriage among recent cohorts is unknown.

Methods: American Community Survey data for 2010-2014 were used to estimate the average national and state-level proportions of children who had ever been married.

Thirty-year trends in the prevalence and severity of female genital mutilation: a comparison of 22 countries.

Introduction: Female genital mutilation (FGM) harms women's health and well-being and is widely considered a violation of human rights. The United Nations has called for elimination of the practice by 2030.

Methods: We used household survey data to measure trends in the prevalence of FGM in 22 countries.

Recent Trends in Premarital Fertility across Sub-Saharan Africa.

The rising age of first marriage across sub-Saharan Africa over the past 25 years has led many scholars to predict a concurrent increase in premarital childbearing. We examine whether this anticipated increase has materialized using data from 27 countries. Our results reveal considerable heterogeneity.

Increased Duration of Paid Maternity Leave Lowers Infant Mortality in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Background: Maternity leave reduces neonatal and infant mortality rates in high-income countries. However, the impact of maternity leave on infant health has not been rigorously evaluated in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In this study, we utilized a difference-in-differences approach to evaluate whether paid maternity leave policies affect infant mortality in LMICs.

Accessibility and potency of uterotonic drugs purchased by simulated clients in four districts in India.

Background: Surveillance of drug quality for antibiotics, antiretrovirals, antimalarials and vaccines is better established than surveillance for maternal health drugs in low-income countries, particularly uterotonic drugs for the prevention and treatment of postpartum hemorrhage. The objectives of this study are to: assess private sector accessibility of four drugs used for uterotonic purposes (oxytocin, methylergometrine, misoprostol, valethamate bromide); and to assess potency of oxytocin and methylergometrine ampoules purchased by simulated clients.

Methods: The study was conducted in Hassan and Bagalkot districts in Karnataka state and Agra and Gorakhpur districts in Uttar Pradesh state.

Direct observation of uterotonic drug use at public health facility-based deliveries in four districts in India.

Objective: To describe intrapartum uterotonic drug use and related behaviors in public health facility-based deliveries and to describe drug storage conditions in associated pharmacies.

Methods: A descriptive study was conducted between August and November 2011 to document practices related to uterotonic administration and storage based on direct observation of deliveries at public health facilities in four Indian districts (n=97, n=89, n=91, and n=89) with contrasting maternal health and socioeconomic indicators.

Results: Uterotonic drug use before and after delivery was common among the 366 study participants.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to uterotonic drugs during childbirth in Karnataka, India: a qualitative research study.

Background And Objectives: India has the highest annual number of maternal deaths of any country. As obstetric hemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death in India, numerous efforts are under way to promote access to skilled attendance at birth and emergency obstetric care. Current initiatives also seek to increase access to active management of the third stage of labor for postpartum hemorrhage prevention, particularly through administration of an uterotonic after delivery.

Uterotonic use during childbirth in Uttar Pradesh: accounts from community members and health providers.

Objective: this qualitative study aimed to document provider and community practices regarding uterotonic use during labour and delivery in Uttar Pradesh, India, as well as the knowledge, attitudes, and values that underlie such use.

Methods, Setting, And Participants: a total of 140 in-depth interviews were conducted between May and July 2011 in Agra and Gorakhpur districts, with clinicians, nurses, recently delivered women, mothers-in-law with at least one grandchild, traditional birth attendants, unlicensed village doctors, and pharmacist assistants at chemical shops.

Findings: interviews reveal that injectable uterotonic use for the purposes of labour augmentation is widespread in both clinical and community settings.

Uterotonic drug quality: an assessment of the potency of injectable uterotonic drugs purchased by simulated clients in three districts in Ghana.

Objectives: Given use of uterotonics for postpartum haemorrhage and other obstetric indications, the importance of potent uterotonics is indisputable. This study evaluated access to and potency of injectable uterotonics in Ghana.

Design: Study design involved research assistants simulating clients to purchase oxytocin and ergometrine from different sources.

Physical violence by partner during pregnancy and use of prenatal care in rural India.

The role of physical violence during pregnancy on receipt of prenatal care is poorly understood, particularly for South Asian countries that have high levels of both fertility and domestic violence. Data from the 1998/1999 Indian National Family Health Survey and a 2002/2003 follow-up survey that re-interviewed women in four states were analyzed, examining the association between physical violence during pregnancy and the uptake of prenatal care. Women who experienced physical violence during pregnancy were less likely to receive prenatal care, less likely to receive a home-visit from a health worker for a prenatal check-up, less likely to receive at least three prenatal care visits, and less likely to initiate prenatal care early in the pregnancy.