Incidence of child marriage among refugees and internally displaced persons in the Middle East and South Asia: evidence from six cross-sectional surveys.

Objective: To examine incidence of child marriage among displaced and host populations in humanitarian settings.

Design: Cross-sectional surveys.

Setting: Data were collected in Djibouti, Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq in the Middle East and in Bangladesh and Nepal in South Asia.

Challenges of COVID-19 prevention during protracted conflicts: differential adherence to preventive measures in "contact line" regions in eastern Ukraine.

Objectives: Despite the epidemiological importance of social vulnerabilities in compliance with preventive measures, little is known about the disproportional nature of preventive behaviors in crisis-affected populations. We examined adherence to COVID-19 preventive behaviors, focusing on social distancing measures in the conflict-affected regions in eastern Ukraine.

Methods: From a multisectoral needs assessment conducted in 2020 using a household interview of a stratified simple random sample, we included 1,617 rural and urban households located in the government-controlled area.

Child marriage among displaced populations - a 2019 study in Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Background: Many of the factors that increase risk of child marriage are common among refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). We sought to address the gaps in knowledge surrounding child marriage in displaced and host populations in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI).

Methods: A multistage cluster sample design was employed collecting data of KRI host communities, Iraqi IDPs, and Syrian refugees.

Investigating Incidence, Correlates, and Consequences of Child Marriage Among Syrian Refugees Residing in the South of Lebanon: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: Research on child marriage has increased in volume but remains scarce in humanitarian settings. This study aimed to investigate rates, correlates, and consequences of child marriage among Syrian refugees in South Lebanon.

Methods: A sample of 1,593 female adolescents and 893 adults was selected using a multistage stratified cluster survey design.

Fostering Protective Assets Among Syrian Refugee Girls Who Experience Child Marriage: Findings from a Formative Program Evaluation.

The International Rescue Committee's Life Skills Tailored Package for Early Marriage focuses on engaged, married, and divorced Syrian refugee girls aged 13-18 living in Lebanon. This paper details findings from a qualitative program evaluation. In-depth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) explored participants' viewpoints about program components.

Trafficking, Client and Police Violence, Sexual Risk and Mental Health Among Women in the Sex Industry at the Thai-Myanmar Border.

This study describes sex trafficking and associations with violence and health among female migrants in the sex industry in Mae Sot, Thailand. The mixed-methods study included a qualitative interview phase ( = 10), followed by a cross-sectional survey phase ( = 128). Entry via trafficking (force, fraud, or coercion [FFC], or as minors) was prevalent (76.

'We will never give up': a qualitative study of ethical challenges Syrian health workers face in situations of extreme violence.

Active conflict settings constitute challenging operating environments for humanitarian health organisations and workers. An emerging feature of some conflicts is direct violence against health workers, facilities, and patients. Since the start of the war in 2011, Syria has endured extreme and deliberate violent attacks on health facilities and workers.

Quantifying the Ripple Effects of Civil War: How Armed Conflict Is Associated with More Severe Violence in the Home.

Both the fields of public health and that of human rights seek to improve human well-being, including through reducing and preventing all forms of violence, to help individuals attain the highest quality of life. In both fields, mathematical methods can help "visibilize" the hidden architecture of violence, bringing new methods to bear to understand the scope and nuance of how violence affects populations. An increasing number of studies have examined how residing in a conflict-affected place may impact one of the most pervasive forms of violence-intimate partner violence (IPV)-during and after conflict.

Child marriage among Somali refugees in Ethiopia: a cross sectional survey of adolescent girls and adult women.

Background: Despite child marriage receiving increased attention over the past two decades, research on child marriage in humanitarian settings remains scarce. This study sought to quantify child marriage among Somali adolescent girls residing in Kobe refugee camp in Ethiopia and to identify its correlates and consequences.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using multi-stage cluster-based sampling with probability proportional to size.

Drivers and consequences of child marriage in a context of protracted displacement: a qualitative study among Syrian refugees in Egypt.

Background: Child marriage is a human rights violation disproportionately impacting girls in low- and middle-income countries. In the Middle East region, conflict and displacement have prompted concerns that families are increasingly resorting to child marriage to cope with economic insecurity and fears from sexual violence. This study set out to examine child marriage among Syrian refugees residing in Egypt with the aim of understanding drivers of child marriage in this context of displacement as well as how child marriage affects refugee girls' wellbeing.

Improving mental health and psychosocial wellbeing in humanitarian settings: reflections on research funded through R2HC.

Major knowledge gaps remain concerning the most effective ways to address mental health and psychosocial needs of populations affected by humanitarian crises. The Research for Health in Humanitarian Crisis (R2HC) program aims to strengthen humanitarian health practice and policy through research. As a significant portion of R2HC's research has focused on mental health and psychosocial support interventions, the program has been interested in strengthening a community of practice in this field.

Health and healthcare in North Korea: a retrospective study among defectors.

Background: To gain insights into the socio-economic and political determinants of ill health and access to healthcare in North Korea.

Methods: A retrospective survey using respondent-driven sampling conducted in 2014-15 among 383 North Korean refugees newly resettling in South Korea, asking about experiences of illness and utilization of healthcare while in North Korea, analyzed according to measures of political, economic and human rights indicators.

Results: Although the Public Health Act claims that North Korea provides the comprehensive free care system, respondents reported high levels of unmet need and, among those obtaining care, widespread informal expenditure.

From political to personal violence: Links between conflict and non-partner physical violence in post-conflict Liberia.

War and interpersonal violence together account for a large burden on global health. Yet very few studies look at the relationship between these types of aggression. Non-partner physical violence (NPPV) is an often-understudied form of gender-based violence (GBV).

Gender Differences in Violence and Other Human Rights Abuses Among Migrant Workers on the Thailand-Myanmar Border.

We describe human rights violations against migrant workers at the Thailand-Myanmar border, and evaluate differences by gender and industry. This mixed methods study pairs key informant interviews ( n = 40) with a cross-sectional quantitative survey of migrant workers from Myanmar ( n = 589) recruited via respondent-driven sampling. Key informants described significant hazards during migration, including deception, theft, and physical and sexual abuse, the latter primarily for women.

Burden of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Karachi, Pakistan: Estimation through the capture-recapture method.

Objective: To assess the application of capture-recapture method as a potential strategy to estimate the incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out from January to April 2013 in Karachi and comprised three public general hospitals, one public cardiac hospital, one private general hospital and two ambulance services. Two-sample capture-recapture method was used: first capture was through cardiac arrest data from two major emergency medical services and second capture was from the five teaching hospitals.

Migration and health: a global public health research priority.

Background: With 244 million international migrants, and significantly more people moving within their country of birth, there is an urgent need to engage with migration at all levels in order to support progress towards global health and development targets. In response to this, the 2nd Global Consultation on Migration and Health- held in Colombo, Sri Lanka in February 2017 - facilitated discussions concerning the role of research in supporting evidence-informed health responses that engage with migration.

Conclusions: Drawing on discussions with policy makers, research scholars, civil society, and United Nations agencies held in Colombo, we emphasize the urgent need for quality research on international and domestic (in-country) migration and health to support efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Human Rights as Political Determinants of Health: A Retrospective Study of North Korean Refugees.

Introduction: The gravity, scale, and nature of human rights violations are severe in North Korea. Little is known about the mental health consequences of the lifelong exposures to these violations.

Methods: In 2014-2015, a retrospective study was conducted among 383 North Korean refugees in South Korea using respondent-driven sampling to access this hidden population.

Identifying mental health problems and Idioms of distress among older adult internally displaced persons in Georgia.

The global population of older adults (60 years and older) has been growing steadily; however, inadequate attention is given to the health needs of older persons, particularly within contexts of conflict and migration. This paper reports findings from the qualitative phase of an investigation assessing the mental health status of older adult internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Georgia, a country in the South Caucasus. The study aimed to assess community-wide social and health problems among older adult IDPs, with a focus on mental health problems and healthy functioning, as well as terminology used to describe these problems.

From the battlefield to the bedroom: a multilevel analysis of the links between political conflict and intimate partner violence in Liberia.

Objectives: Assess the link between levels of armed conflict and postconflict intimate partner violence (IPV) experienced by women in Liberia.

Methods: Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project data were used to measure conflict-related fatalities in districts in Liberia during the country's civil war from 1999 to 2003. These data were linked to individual-level data from the 2007 Demographic and Health Survey, including past-year IPV.

Transitions into puberty and access to sexual and reproductive health information in two humanitarian settings: a cross-sectional survey of very young adolescents from Somalia and Myanmar.

Background: Very young adolescents (VYA) in humanitarian settings are largely neglected in terms of sexual and reproductive health (SRH). This study describes the characteristics of VYA aged 10-14 years in two humanitarian settings, focusing on transitions into puberty and access to SRH information.

Methods: Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey with Somali VYA residing in the Kobe refugee camp in Ethiopia ( = 406) and VYA from Myanmar residing in the Mae Sot and Phop Phra migrant communities in Thailand ( = 399).

Young lives disrupted: gender and well-being among adolescent Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

Background: The conflict in Syria that began in 2011 has resulted in the exodus of over 5 million Syrian refugees to neighbouring countries, with more than one million refugees currently registered by UNHCR in Lebanon. While some are living in tented settlements, the majority are living in strained conditions in rented accommodation or collective shelters in the Bekaa Valley next to Syria. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable in any crisis.

Sexual and reproductive health needs and risks of very young adolescent refugees and migrants from Myanmar living in Thailand.

Background: The very young adolescent (VYA) population age 10-14 years is often neglected in the field of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) research due to the combined sensitivity of the topic and the young age group, resulting in little data about the SRH needs and concerns of VYA. In 2013, the Women's Refugee Commission (WRC), Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Adolescent and Reproductive Health Network (ARHN) and Karen Youth Organization (KYO) implemented qualitative participatory research to explore the SRH needs and risks of VYA. The study was conducted in Mae Sot town and Mae La refugee camp, both in Thailand, with migrant populations and refugees, respectively.

Understanding the unique experiences, perspectives and sexual and reproductive health needs of very young adolescents: Somali refugees in Ethiopia.

Background: Kobe Refugee camp hosts roughly 39,000 refugees displaced from Somalia during the 2011-2012 Horn of Africa Crisis. Sexual and reproductive health, as with the greater issues of health and well-being for adolescents displaced from this crisis remain largely unknown and neglected. In 2013, the Women's Refugee Commission, Johns Hopkins University, and International Medical Corps in Ethiopia, implemented qualitative and quantitative research to explore the factors and risks that impact the health of very young adolescents (VYAs), those 10-14 years of age, in this setting.

Longitudinal Effects of Acculturation on Alcohol Use among Vietnamese and Cambodian Immigrant Women in the USA.

Aims: Recent studies indicate that alcohol use is increasing among Asian American populations and that acculturation impacts alcohol use among immigrants in the USA. We investigated the longitudinal relationship between three domains of acculturation (traditionalism, biculturalism, assimilation) and alcohol use among 302 Vietnamese and Cambodian women in Washington State.

Methods: Data were obtained from the Cross Cultural Families Project (CCF), a 5-year longitudinal investigation of a random sample of Vietnamese and Cambodian immigrant families living in Washington State.

Differences in Patterns of Mortality Between Foreign-Born and Native-Born Workers Due to Fatal Occupational Injury in the USA from 2003 to 2010.

This study assesses differences mortality patterns and relative hazard due to fatal occupational injuries between native and immigrant workers in the US. Fatal occupational injury data from 2003 to 2010 were examined using survival analysis based on proportional hazards models controlling for categorical variables of race, gender, occupation, and industry. Workers are stratified based on whether they are native to the US (n = 31952) or born abroad (n = 7096).