Recommendations for Integrating Traditional Birth Attendants to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Adverse maternal health outcomes and high rates of maternal mortality continue to disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). With limited access to health facility care, many women in LMICs rely on traditional birth attendants (TBAs) to meet their maternal health needs. While some studies consider the use of TBAs to be problematic, others suggest the integration of TBAs into maternal healthcare to improve health outcomes.

Implementation of a Cell-Enabled Remote Blood Pressure Monitoring Program During the Postpartum Period at a Safety-Net Hospital.

Background: Postpartum hypertension is a risk factor for severe maternal morbidity; however, barriers exist for diagnosis and treatment. Remote blood pressure (BP) monitoring programs are an effective tool for monitoring BP and may mitigate maternal health disparities. We aimed to describe and evaluate engagement in a remote BP monitoring program on BP ascertainment during the first 6-weeks postpartum among a diverse patient population.

"I can do bad all by myself": Indirect effect of social support beliefs on the Strong Black Woman schema and depressive symptoms.

Objectives: The Strong Black Woman (SBW) schema, a multidimensional construct that promotes self-reliance, self-silencing, self-sacrificial caregiving, and resilience, has been linked to depressive symptoms in Black women. Yet, additional research is needed to examine the mechanisms through which this association exists. The present study examines the indirect effect of social support beliefs on the relationship between the SBW schema and depressive symptoms.

Use of Chemical Hair Straighteners and Fecundability in a North American Preconception Cohort.

Chemical hair straighteners ("relaxers") are used by millions of North Americans, particularly women of color. Hair relaxers may contain endocrine-disrupting compounds, which can harm fertility. We evaluated the association between hair relaxer use and fecundability among 11,274 participants from Pregnancy Study Online (PRESTO), a North American preconception cohort study.

Sexual dysfunction, distress, and care-seeking among females during the preconception period.

Background: Despite the high prevalence of female sexual dysfunction in population-based studies and the importance of sexual functioning for mixed-sex couples attempting conception, little is known about female sexual function in the preconception period.

Objective: This descriptive study aimed to assess the prevalence of female sexual dysfunction, distress, and pain with intercourse in a preconception population of pregnancy planners. The study also explored the extent to which participants discussed their sex lives with a healthcare provider during a preconception visit.

Learning from community-based HIV prevention to inform control and mitigation of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The current COVID-19 pandemic and the likelihood of future viral pandemics demonstrate a need for strategic prevention campaigns that integrate biomedical, structural, and behavioral interventions within larger scale comprehensive public health initiatives. In Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevention, community-based efforts have resulted in reductions in transmission rates, increases in testing, increases in biomedical prevention uptake, and increased engagement in secondary and tertiary prevention efforts. In this paper, we review three community-based strategies (health communication, accessible screening, and accessible prevention resources) that have demonstrated effectiveness in HIV prevention and offer recommendations for utilizing these strategies in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Predictors of Non-Response to a Sexual Health Survey in a North American Preconception Cohort Study.

Background: Refusal to participate in studies related to sexual health can compromise the internal and external validity of findings. Research examining non-response to sexual health studies has primarily focused on predictors such as specific sexual attitudes and behaviors.

Aim: Evaluate predictors of non-response to a supplemental sexual health survey added to a web-based cohort study, focusing on predictors that may be important in epidemiologic studies of sexual health.

Becoming Strong: Sociocultural Experiences, Mental Health, & Black Girls' Strong Black Woman Schema Endorsement.

This study examines the precedents and consequences of Black girls' Strong Black Woman schema (SBW) endorsement. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that, among Black girls (N= 308), racial discrimination experiences and racial barrier socialization messages were positively associated with SBW endorsement. However, there was no significant interaction between racial discrimination and racial barrier messages in predicting SBW endorsement.

Reframing Sexual Health for Black Girls and Women in HIV/STI Prevention Work: Highlighting the Role of Identity and Interpersonal Relationships.

While Black girls and women are disproportionately impacted by sexual health disparities, there continues to be an overwhelming focus on individual risk behaviors within prevention initiatives, which offers a fragmented narrative of the multidimensional nature of risk and plausibly limits effectiveness of prevention programs and attenuates reductions in disparities. Because sexual health is experienced within an individual's beliefs/values, interpersonal relationships, and behaviors and reflects larger social and cultural systems, it is important to critically examine common theories used to inform HIV/STI prevention interventions for Black women and girls. To fill this gap in the literature, we critique two commonly used theories in HIV/STI prevention interventions, namely the social cognitive theory and the theory of gender and power, by highlighting theoretical and practical strengths and weaknesses.

A Review of Recent HIV Prevention Interventions and Future Considerations for Nursing Science.

As our knowledge of HIV evolved over the decades, so have the approaches taken to prevent its transmission. Public health scholars and practitioners have engaged in four key strategies for HIV prevention: behavioral-, technological-, biomedical-, and structural/community-level interventions. We reviewed recent literature in these areas to provide an overview of current advances in HIV prevention science in the United States.

Strategies for increasing impact, engagement, and accessibility in HIV prevention programs: suggestions from women in urban high HIV burden counties in the Eastern United States (HPTN 064).

Background: Merely having the tools to end HIV is insufficient. Effectively ending the epidemic necessitates addressing barriers that impede engagement in biomedical and behavioral prevention and wide scale implementation and utilization of existing interventions. This qualitative study identifies suggestions for increasing access to, engagement in, and impact of HIV prevention among women living in cities in high HIV burden counties in the eastern US.

Considerations for employing intersectionality in qualitative health research.

Intersectionality theory has recently emerged in the health sciences as a critical theoretical and methodical approach. Though some scholars have outlined explicit guidelines for applying intersectionality in research using quantitative methods, others have cited epistemological concerns and additive thinking to advocate for the analysis of intersectionality with qualitative methods. Thus, there remains a need for additional guidance and support for utilizing and applying intersectionality theory throughout the qualitative research process.

Conocimientos de la hipertensión: Health beliefs about hypertension in an under-resourced community in the Dominican Republic.

Understanding health beliefs is important to facilitate health promotion and disease prevention as they influence health behaviors, outcomes, and disease management. Given the rise of hypertension-related diseases in the Dominican Republic, the purpose of our study was to identify hypertension-related health beliefs of Dominicans in order to inform the development of culturally appropriate interventions for hypertension prevention, care, and treatment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 Dominicans, 15 of whom were receiving treatment for hypertension.

Sexual Orientation Identity, Race/Ethnicity, and Lifetime HIV Testing in a National Probability Sample of U.S. Women and Men: An Intersectional Approach.

We examined differences in lifetime human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing in relation to both sexual orientation identity and race/ethnicity among U.S. women and men.

Underneath the Mask of the Strong Black Woman Schema: Disentangling Influences of Strength and Self-Silencing on Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Black Women.

Recent investigations have elucidated the influence of the Strong Black Woman (SBW) Schema on the mental health and treatment seeking behaviors of Black women in the United States. However, the SBW schematic characteristics that produce depression have yet to be identified. The current study fills this void in the literature through a quantitative examination of how characteristics of the SBW Schema relate to depressive symptomology.

Addressing Noncommunicable Disease in Dominican Republic: Barriers to Hypertension and Diabetes Care.

Introduction: Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) significantly contribute to morbidity and mortality worldwide. During medical brigades in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Aid Society of Virginia (DASV) collects data to help understand the dynamics of NCD management. This study presents findings regarding resources and barriers to NCD treatment.

Combining task shifting and community-based care to improve maternal health: Practical approaches and patient perceptions.

Globally, community-based care and task shifting strategies are used to address maternal healthcare shortages in low-income countries. Limited research exists on models that combine these strategies. Using a qualitative approach, we explored Haitian women's perceptions of the Midwives for Haiti model, which unites task shifting and community-based care by training nurses as skilled birth attendants and offering healthcare via rotating, mobile clinics.

Circumstances Beyond Their Control: Black Women's Perceptions of Black Manhood.

Insufficient empirical attention has been paid to Black women's perceptions of Black male gender roles and associated masculinity. Although constructions of Black masculinity have been speculated about in popular media and literature, no known published studies have specifically investigated Black women's perceptions of Black men or offered a conceptualization of Black masculinity informed by their voices. Because women's perceptions of and beliefs about men affect partnership decisions, quality of relationships, childrearing decisions, health behaviors, and other aspects of personal and psychosocial well-being, the purpose of the present exploratory qualitative study was to fill the noted gap in the literature while highlighting context related to these beliefs.

Condom Use Efficacy and Sexual Communication Skills Among African American College Women.

Despite condom use being the most protective measure against the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), little is known about the intermediary relationships between condom negotiation, assertive sexual communication, and condom use efficacy. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationships between these constructs within the context of an HIV prevention intervention. We examined two samples of African American college women participating in two HIV prevention interventions, one of which was based on social learning theory ( N = 214).

Association between hospital community services and county population health in the USA.

Objectives: Little research has utilized population level data to test the association between community health outcomes and (i) hospital-sponsored community services that facilitate access to care and (ii) hospital-sponsored community building services in the USA. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine these relationships.

Methods: A secondary data analysis of the 2016 County Health Rankings and American Hospital Association databases was conducted via zero-truncated negative Binomial regression.

Considerations for Implementing Group-Level Prenatal Health Interventions in Low-Resource Communities: Lessons Learned From Haiti.

Haiti's high maternal and infant mortality rates evidence an urgent need for implementation of evidence-based strategies. A potential cost-effective strategy to mitigate high maternal and infant mortality rates is group prenatal care, an innovative model that combines antenatal clinical assessment with pregnancy education. Despite research demonstrating the effectiveness of this model in high-resource settings, less is known about the challenges of implementing it in low-resource settings.