Attitudes toward sexual and reproductive health and rights and their associations with reproductive agency: a population-based cross-sectional study in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zimbabwe.

We investigated the association between values and attitudes toward sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and gender equality, with reproductive agency in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. Using 2020-21 World Values Survey (WVS) data (n = 3,096), we utilized the SRHR Support Index including five subindices to gauge SRHR attitudes, the WVS Equality Index for gender equality values, and the perceived level of freedom of choice and control over whether, when, and how many children to have as a proxy for reproductive agency. Descriptive statistics, bivariate, and multivariable logistic regressions were used to analyse how values and attitudes differed between respondents of high vs low reproductive agency using the median as cutoff, stratified by country and sex.

Trusted networks: a study of communication flow and access to abortion information in Argentina.

In December 2020, Argentina approved a new abortion law following decades of feminist and social advocacy. This paper presents qualitative findings from interviews and focus group discussions with people in local communities focusing on how individuals of reproductive age access and communicate sexual and reproductive health information, particularly regarding abortion. Sixteen in-depth interviews were conducted with key informants working in the field of SRHR and four focus group discussions took place with cisgender women and girls, transmasculine people and non-binary people of reproductive age.

Risk and Protective Factors for the Sexual and Reproductive Health of Young Adolescents: Lessons Learnt in the Past Decade and Research Priorities Moving Forward.

Purpose: To review the published literature on what has been reported on risk and protective factors for early adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in the recent decade.

Methods: A scoping review of English language, peer-reviewed literature on risk and protective factors for early adolescent (aged 10-14 years) SRH published between January 2010 and January 2023 using Medline, Web of Science, PsycInfo, CINAHL, and Google Scholar. Articles reporting only on nonmodifiable demographic factors, or on the effect of interventions, were beyond the scope of this review.

Support for sexual and reproductive health and rights in Sub-Saharan Africa: a new index based on World Values Survey data.

Background: Addressing attitudes is central to achieving sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and Agenda 2030. We aimed to develop a comprehensive index to measure attitudinal support for SRHR, expanding opportunities for global trend analyses and tailored interventions.

Methods: We designed a new module capturing attitudes towards different dimensions of SRHR, collected via the nationally representative World Values Survey in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zimbabwe during 2020-2021 (n = 3,711).

Intersectionality, gender norms, and young adolescents in context: a review of longitudinal multicountry research programmes to shape future action.

Discriminatory gender norms can intersect and interact with other dimensions of discrimination-such as age, race, ethnicity, disability, education status, and sexual orientation-to shape individuals' experiences and impact their health and wellbeing. This interaction is referred to as intersectionality. Although the theory has been in circulation since the late 1980s, only recently has it gained traction in low-income and middle-income settings, and it has yet to fully penetrate global research on adolescence.

Exploring a Preliminary Set of Indicators to Measure Adolescent Health: Results From a 12-Country Feasibility Study.

Purpose: To explore data availability, perceived relevance, acceptability and feasibility of implementing 52 draft indicators for adolescent health measurement in different countries globally.

Methods: A mixed-methods, sequential explanatory study was conducted in 12 countries. An online spreadsheet was used to assess data availability and a stakeholder survey to assess perceived relevance, acceptability, and feasibility of implementing each draft indicator proposed by the Global Action for Measurement of Adolescent health (GAMA).

Towards Harmonized Adolescent Health Measurement: Assessing Alignment Between Current Recommendations and the Global Action for Measurement of Adolescent Health-Recommended Indicators.

Purpose: This study identified alignment of indicators across different initiatives and data collection instruments as a foundation for future harmonization of adolescent health measurement.

Methods: Using the Global Action for Measurement of Adolescent health (GAMA) recommended indicators as the basis for comparison, we conducted a desk review of 14 global-level initiatives, such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health, and five multicountry survey programs, such as the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys and the Global school-based Student Health Survey. We identified initiative and survey indicators similar to a GAMA indicator, deconstructed indicators into standard elements to facilitate comparison, and assessed alignment to the corresponding GAMA indicator across each of the elements.

Relevance of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to Adolescent Health Measurement: A Systematic Mapping of the SDG Framework and Global Adolescent Health Indicators.

Purpose: To assess the relevance of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework for adolescent health measurement, both in terms of age disaggregation and different health domains captured, and how the adolescent health indicators recommended by the Global Action for Measurement of Adolescent Health (GAMA) can complement the SDG framework.

Methods: We conducted a desk review to systematically map all 248 SDG indicators using the UN metadata repository in three steps: 1) age-related mandates for SDG reporting; 2) linkages between the SDG indicators and priority areas for adolescent health measurement; 3) comparison between the GAMA indicators and the SDG framework.

Results: Of the 248 SDG indicators, 35 (14%) targeted an age range overlapping with adolescence (10-19 years) and 33 (13%) called for age disaggregation.

Armed conflict, insecurity, and attitudes toward women's and girls' reproductive autonomy in Nigeria.

Background: Armed conflict and insecurity have been linked to deteriorations in reproductive health and rights globally. In Nigeria, armed violence has taken a significant toll on women's and girls' health and safety. However, knowledge is limited about how conflict shapes attitudes surrounding their ability to make autonomous decisions on relationships and childbearing.

Long-term retention on antiretroviral treatment after enrolment in prevention of vertical HIV transmission services: a prospective cohort study in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Introduction: To prevent vertical HIV transmission and ensure healthy mothers and children, pregnant women with HIV must remain on antiretroviral treatment (ART) for life. However, motivation to remain on ART may decline beyond the standard 2-year breastfeeding/postpartum period. We assessed attrition and retention in ART care among women with HIV up to 6 years since enrolment in vertical transmission prevention services in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Prevalence and associated factors for poor mental health among young migrants in Sweden: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Young migrants face multiple challenges that can affect their mental, sexual and reproductive health.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of self-reported poor mental health and its associated demographic, post-migration and sexual risk behaviour factors among young migrants (aged 15-25) in Sweden.

Methods: Data were drawn from a cross-sectional survey conducted with migrants aged 15-65 years old in Sweden between December 2018 and November 2019 ( = 6449).

Effects of COVID-19 measures on access to HIV/STI testing and condoms among adults in Sweden: a cross-sectional online survey.

Aims: To investigate the self-reported impact of COVID-19 measures on access to testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and condoms and factors associated with reduced access among adults in Sweden.

Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected in late 2020 through a web panel with adults (18-49 years) in Sweden as part of the International Sexual Health And REproductive health survey (I-SHARE) (=1307). The primary outcome was self-reported access to HIV/STI testing and condoms during COVID-19 measures.

Associations between psychosocial wellbeing and experience of gender-based violence at community, household, and intimate-partner levels among a cross-sectional cohort of young people living with and without HIV during COVID-19 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Background: Growing evidence indicates that gender-based violence (GBV) increased during COVID-19. We investigated self-reported impact of the pandemic on GBV at community, household and intimate partner (IPV) levels among young people and its associations with psychosocial wellbeing, i.e.

Access to sexual and reproductive health services among South African young people living with and without HIV during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: To examine sexual and reproductive health (SRH) service access among South African young people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Study Design: We utilized cross-sectional data collected from February to October 2021 in Cape Town among young people 13-24 years of age living with and without HIV.

Results: Two hundred and fifteen young people living with HIV (YPLWH) and 320 young people living without HIV were included.

"I Wouldn't Believe Her at First"-A Qualitative Study of Young People's Sexual Consent Perceptions and Negotiation in Nairobi Informal Settlements.

Forced or coerced sexual experiences have serious consequences for young people's health and well-being. Healthy sexual consent communication can foster positive intimate relationships and help prevent unwanted sexual experiences. We aimed to explore how young people in Nairobi's informal settlements construct, communicate, and negotiate sexual consent within heterosexual partnerships, given the limited insight into such experiences from resource-poor, global-south contexts.

The Impacts of Two Gender-Transformative Interventions on Early Adolescent Gender Norms Perceptions: A Difference-in-Difference Analysis.

Purpose: Inequitable gender norms are widespread and can be harmful to the wellbeing of adolescents. This study estimates the effects of two gender-transformative interventions, Semangat Dunia Remaja or Teen Aspirations (SETARA) and Growing Up Great! (GUG!), on gender norms perceptions and attitudes among very young adolescents in poor urban settings in Bandar Lampung, Semarang, Denpasar (Indonesia), and Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo).

Methods: The study draws from the longitudinal Global Early Adolescent Study, using a quasi-experimental design to evaluate the interventions.

Short-Term Effects of a School-Based Comprehensive Sexuality Education Intervention Among Very Young Adolescents in Three Urban Indonesian Settings: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of a comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) intervention on short-term psychosocial outcomes related to healthy sexuality among very young adolescents in urban Indonesia.

Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted between 2018 and 2021 with students aged 10-14 years at 18 schools in Indonesia (Lampung, Denpasar, Semarang). Three schools per site were purposefully selected to receive the SEmangaT duniA RemajA intervention, a two-year, rights-based teacher-led CSE intervention delivered in classrooms (or online after the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak); and matched with three control schools.

The effect of an interactive weekly text-messaging intervention on retention in prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV care: a randomised controlled trial (WelTel PMTCT).

Retention in prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) care is critical to prevent vertical HIV transmission and reduce morbidity and mortality of mother-infant pairs. We investigated whether weekly, interactive text-messaging improved 18-month postpartum retention in PMTCT care. This randomised, two-armed, parallel trial was conducted at six PMTCT clinics in western Kenya.

Competing health risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and early response: A scoping review.

Background: COVID-19 has rapidly emerged as a global public health threat with infections recorded in nearly every country. Responses to COVID-19 have varied in intensity and breadth, but generally have included domestic and international travel limitations, closure of non-essential businesses, and repurposing of health services. While these interventions have focused on testing, treatment, and mitigation of COVID-19, there have been reports of interruptions to diagnostic, prevention, and treatment services for other public health threats.

Gender norms and women's empowerment as barriers to facility birth: A population-based cross-sectional study in 26 Nigerian states using the World Values Survey.

Background: Central and western Africa struggle with the world's lowest regional proportion of facility birth at 57%. The aim of the current study was to compare beliefs related to maternal health care services, science/technology, gender norms, and empowerment in states with high vs. low proportions of facility birth in Nigeria.

Priority Indicators for Adolescent Health Measurement - Recommendations From the Global Action for Measurement of Adolescent Health (GAMA) Advisory Group.

Purpose: This article describes the selection of priority indicators for adolescent (10-19 years) health measurement proposed by the Global Action for Measurement of Adolescent health advisory group and partners, building on previous work identifying 33 core measurement areas and mapping 413 indicators across these areas.

Methods: The indicator selection process considered inputs from a broad range of stakeholders through a structured four-step approach: (1) definition of selection criteria and indicator scoring; (2) development of a draft list of indicators with metadata; (3) collection of public feedback through a survey; and (4) review of the feedback and finalization of the indicator list. As a part of the process, measurement gaps were also identified.