Testing the Effectiveness of a Community-Based Peer Support Intervention to Mitigate Social Isolation and Stigma of Adolescent Motherhood in Zimbabwe.

Objectives: Social isolation and stigma contribute to poor mental health outcomes. Adolescent mothers in Zimbabwe often experience isolation and stigma, lacking social support and resources to navigate motherhood. The study tested the effectiveness of a community-based peer support intervention to mitigate social isolation and stigma of adolescent motherhood in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Exploring acculturative stress and family dynamics in African immigrant students in the US: implications for mental health.

Objectives: African immigrants represent a rapidly growing immigrant group in the US, yet relatively little is known about influences on the health of this group. This is a particularly important oversight since adaptation to life in the United States can have deleterious effects on health due to the stress associated with immigrant and minority status as well as separation from family abroad. The present study explores how African immigrants experience acculturative stress - the stress-inducing elements of life as an immigrant - and the mental health implications of these experiences in light of home country values and conceptions of health.

Nutrition in adolescent growth and development.

During adolescence, growth and development are transformative and have profound consequences on an individual's health in later life, as well as the health of any potential children. The current generation of adolescents is growing up at a time of unprecedented change in food environments, whereby nutritional problems of micronutrient deficiency and food insecurity persist, and overweight and obesity are burgeoning. In a context of pervasive policy neglect, research on nutrition during adolescence specifically has been underinvested, compared with such research in other age groups, which has inhibited the development of adolescent-responsive nutritional policies.

Development and assessment of feasibility of a community-based peer support intervention to mitigate social isolation and stigma of adolescent motherhood in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Background: Adolescent mothers in Zimbabwe often experience stigma, isolation, and lack coping skills and resources to successfully navigate motherhood. Social isolation and stigma are linked to poor mental health outcomes. No interventions currently address mental health of adolescent mothers in Zimbabwe.

Understanding the Social Environmental Influences on Pregnancy and Planning for Pregnancy for Young Women in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Objectives: Social environmental influences on pregnancy-related practices and outcomes have been studied, yet few studies explore these influences qualitatively from the perspectives of women's personal social networks and the larger social networks that exist within their communities. This study sought to understand and describe the social environment related to pregnancy and planning for pregnancy in Harare, Zimbabwe from the perspectives of women's social networks, and its influence on pregnancy-related decisions and practices.

Methods: Semi-structured, in-depth, qualitative interviews were conducted in both Shona and English with 24 key community stakeholders (6 healthcare workers, 6 school teachers, 6 family members of females aged 14-24 years, and 6 community leaders) who lived or worked in 2 low-income, high-density communities in Harare.

Understanding Conceptualizations of Pregnancy and Planning for Pregnancy Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality, yet little is understood about adolescent girls' and young women's perspectives on pregnancy or planning for pregnancy. The research study took an emic approach to understand and describe how adolescent girls and young women (14-24 years) in Harare, Zimbabwe, conceptualize pregnancy and planning for pregnancy and how these conceptualizations inform pregnancy decisions. Semi-structured, in-depth, qualitative interviews were conducted with adolescent girls and young women ( N = 48) and data were analyzed thematically using NVivo 10.

Examining Long-Term Mental Health in a Rural Community Post-Disaster: A Mixed Methods Approach.

Psychological stressors have been observed immediately following disasters, yet less is known about the long-term effects on the mental health of vulnerable communities. In 2005, Graniteville, S.C.

Off the rails in rural South Carolina: a qualitative study of healthcare provider perspectives on the long-term health impact of the Graniteville train disaster.

Introduction: In 2005, a train derailment and subsequent chlorine spill ravaged the rural town of Graniteville in South Carolina, resulting in one of the worst chlorine gas exposures in US.

History: Significant health and economic challenges persist in the community more than a decade later. Healthcare providers offered healthcare services to community members in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, and many still live in the community and continue to provide healthcare services.

Individual and structural environmental influences on utilization of iron and folic acid supplementation among pregnant women in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Micronutrient deficiencies are prevalent among Zimbabweans with serious health and social implications. Due to a lack of a national micronutrient food fortification policy, the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care established a policy for the prevention of maternal micronutrient deficiencies, which centres on pregnant women receiving daily iron and folic acid (IFA) at their first antenatal care visit and throughout pregnancy. Despite these efforts, utilization of IFA supplementation in pregnancy in Zimbabwe is low.

Photovoice: Assessing the Long-Term Impact of a Disaster on a Community's Quality of Life.

Photovoice is a qualitative method of inquiry whereby individuals can document their lived experiences, particularly individuals whose voices are not typically heard in regard to promoting social change and policy development. We used photovoice to elicit major themes regarding community members' perceptions of the long-term impact on their quality of life as a deadly technological disaster hit a small, rural town in South Carolina. Overall, participants photographed more negative images than positive.